Innocence at the Grand Magic Games Adopted
by ChaTime
Summary: Lavi and Allen journey to Magnolia Town on a job for Komui. However, they see how unusual the town is full of magic and guilds. They decide that it must be Innocence. But while they investigate, they get involved with Fairy Tail.
1. Chapter 1

**[A/N] **Hi! How are you?

I'm the new author of this adopted fanfic.

To be honest, I'm more of a reader than a writer—that explains why my profile is really empty (and the fact that I spend my time here as a Guest)

I don't consider myself a great writer, but I will try to establish the ideal writing style as the original author for this story, so hopefully I meet your expectations! =]

_Credit goes to original author **Jae-Hwa **for Chapters 1-13._

* * *

**Disclaimer : **I do not own D. Gray- Man or Fairy Tail.

**DGM :** takes place after Invasion of the Black Order arc (Allen did not leave the B.O yet).

**Fairy Tail : **During the Grand Magic Games arc.

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

"A-Are you serious?" Lavi asked the Chief Officer, Komui Lee.

"You're asking us... to travel to this place called Magnolia Town in another place called Fiore just to get this antidote?" Allen Walker added weakly, glancing down at his instructions and possibly wondering what the heck was wrong with Komui.

"Correct!" Komui beamed at the pair of them. "The Science Department isn't feeling too well, you see, so a friend of mine in Magnolia Town conjured up an antidote to help them!"

"But, surely sir" — Allen tried to keep the politeness in his tone — "surely your acquaintance could deliver them here instead?"

"Oh no," Komui waved an airy hand, "I couldn't possibly waste his time!"

_Yet you're wasting ours, _Lavi thought waspishly.

Looking at the not-so-happy expressions on the boys' faces, Komui quickly added, "Now, now, I'm not going to make you _walk _there! Allen-kun, you can still summon the Ark, yes?"

"Oh! Yes," Allen replied.

"Well, you have my permission to enter the Ark and journey to Fiore from there. It's much easier, anyway." The Chief laughed as Allen and Lavi sighed in relief.

* * *

"I can't believe we're doin' this," Lavi said, as the pair stepped into the Ark.

"Can't be helped. Johnny and Reever and the science team are ill. Besides, Chief's orders," said Allen, though he also sounded glum.

"So, which door leads us to this Magnolia Town?" Lavi glanced around at the many entrances as they walked through the Mediterranean-styled city.

"Komui-san specifically said Gate number 777." Allen peered at Komui's hand-written instructions. "Yep. 777."

"777, huh? Oh! Over here, 'sprout!"

"My name's Allen! And you're taking this too lightly, Lavi!" Allen told the taller boy as they gathered around Gate 777.

Lavi's laugh echoed around the Ark.

"All we hafta do is get this antidote, yeah? Piece of cake."

"Yes, but we're not going on a picnic. And don't bother me for a second, I need to open the gate," Allen said rather crossly, as he hummed the lyrics of the song and the gate opened, revealing bright light.

Allen stepped in through the gate and vanished. Lavi, following his lead, was burned when he tried to enter.

"Whoops! Forgot to trace my numberical code... damn Komui..."

And so the two exorcists stepped in the gate and vanished, reappearing on the other side.

* * *

Lavi's jaw dropped. Allen's stomach went empty.

"T-This is Magnoila Town?!" Lavi exclaimed, looking around in awe.

It was a beautiful western-styled city, that extended over a large, rectangular surface to the shores of a large lake. The town was spilt horizontally and vertically in series of large roads. The atmosphere felt cheery and bright as the inhabitants walked around town, laughing and talking and going on with their daily lives. No one seemed to notice two funny-looking pair of exorcists gaping around like they just came from another world.

"This is awesome," Lavi said softly, watching the townspeople. "It's so different from ours. Right, Allen?" He turned around to find the white-haired exorcist missing. "Huh? Allen?"

"... these buns are just freshly made and only 400 jewels, sir!"

"Jewels? I only have guineas..."

Lavi's jaw dropped when he saw Allen purchasing food at one of the food stalls. He went up and snatched Allen's arm, leaving the cashier looking frankly bewildered.

"Ah — my buns!"

"How did you freakin' disappear in three seconds?! Anyway, you said we weren't here for a picnic!" Lavi reminded him, "Get your act together!"

They stopped in the town's square and Allen yanked his arm free from the red-haired boy.

"I got it, I got it, I was just hungry," Allen said sheepishly.

"This town seems pretty different somehow," said Lavi, observing the town.

"I agree. It doesn't have that _akuma_ feeling. My eye's not reacting at all." The white-haired exorcist glanced around as many passersby passed, laughing and talking.

"Well, it's not like we're here to hunt for demons. I'd say we'd better find 'ol Komui's friend and get the antidote. It's what we're here for, anyway," Lavi said matter-of-factly.

"Right... shall we start looking around in those potion shops?"

"Let's g —"

"GET OUT OF THE WAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!"

"What the —?!"

A pink blur came hurdling their way, and both exorcists were nearly thrown off their feet as the pink blur passed them, making dust go in their eyes.

"What the hell was that?!" Lavi asked, rubbing his emerald eye as the townspeople muttered about what they just witnessed.

"... gotta be that Natsu."

"... such a troublesome guild. They should really exercise their magic more carefully, those reckless mages."

"Guild? Mages?" Allen repeated in bewilderment, carefully rubbing his eyes to get the dust out. He glanced up at Lavi, who was frowning.

_This is weird. There's the fact that no akuma has attacked us yet and that Allen's eye isn't reacting...and — _Lavi glanced at the townspeople, who were still looking disapproving - _they mention "magic" and "mages"... just what is this town? Could this possibly be a work of Innocence?_

"Allen," Lavi's voice made the white-haired exorcist jump. It was unusually serious. "I think we need to do some investigating."

"What're you saying?" Allen asked, a little worried.

"Look over there."

Looking in the direction Lavi pointed, Allen saw a little boy. Perplexed, he watched for a few moments then gasped when the boy produced a blue flame out of nowhere with his tiny hands, laughing and showing it to his parents, who looked perfectly unconcerned.

"N-No way..." Allen gaped. "You think...?"

"Yeah." The pair started walking around, Allen looking bewildered and somewhat fascinated while Lavi was frowning every time they saw 'magic'.

"There's no doubt about it. Innocence is involved."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer** : I do not own DGM or FT.

**Note** : About the numerical code thing in the previous chapter; every member of the Black Order is assigned a numerical code. When they enter a Gate, they must trace their code in order to go through. This prevents intruders from entering the Gate, since a numerical code is required to enter the Gate. Yeah, that's basically how it works.

* * *

Chapter Two

* * *

"2,000 jewels for the bakery shop, 47,000 jewels for the museum, 37,500 jewels for the other museum, and 19,000 jewels for 14 wrecked residence property..." Fairy Tail's Master, Makarov Dreyar, was positively crying as he read the report. "Maybe it would've been better if we never woke up after all!" he cried, sobbing into his arm. Mirajane, the barmaid, patted his other arm sympathetically.

"FINISSSSSHED!" The guild doors banged opened and Natsu Dragneel burst into the guild.

"Damn, you're noisy, Natsu!" Gray Fullbuster snarled from his seat at a table.

"What did you say, Gray!?"

"I said you're noisy, you fire bastard! Or is your ear so stuffed of fire wax you can't hear me? Try getting your ear washed!"

"Oh yeah? You know what you need, you ice wuss? A freakin' facewash!"

"Why you damn — "

"_If you two don't shut the hell up, I'm going to slice you both with 200 weapons so badly, only your small brains would be left,"_ Erza Scarlet said in a dangerous voice.

Immediately, the two stopped arguing.

"Erza-san is scary, isn't she?" Wendy asked Lucy nervously.

Lucy gave a somewhat strained laugh. "That's how they settled things as kids," she replied.

"Oh, yeah! I better go report this!" Natsu suddenly exclaimed. He sprinted towards the bar and slammed down a finished request onto the counter in triumph.

"Already? That's the 39th one today, Natsu." Mirajane sweat-dropped. "What was the reward?"

"Huh?" The fire mage blinked. "Oh. I didn't get the reward! The client was really pissed off 'cause I destroyed his studio office or somethin'. It's in the paper, I think." he shrugged like it was no big deal.

Stunned, Makarov glanced at the paper and nearly died of a heart attack.

_26,000 JEWELS FOR DESTROYED PRIVATE PROPERTY._

"2-2-2-26,000 jewels... all together that's 131,500 jewels... The Magic Council is going to kill me..." Makaro's mustache was nearly coming off. _"Natsu, you moron..."_

BANG.

"Well, I better go sort this out. Mirajane-chan, I'll leave the rest to you," he said a few moments later, after transforming into the gigantic form of Titan and crushing Natsu into the ground with his fist.

"Er, right..." Mira said uncertainly, watching blood gushing out of Natsu's head.

"131,500 jewels... I'm really in for it this time," Makarov sighed as he strode outside the entrance of the guild's tavern, fastening his cloak.

"Master!" The master turned around to see Erza Scarlet hurrying towards his way, carrying a wrapped package.

"What is it, Erza?"

"This is for you."

Taking the package, the old man carefully unwrapped the item, revealing a little bottle full of black liquid that was stopped with a cork at the top.

He frowned. "What is this?"

"It's an antidote from Yajima. He's left you a note."

Fiddling with the wrapping paper, Makarov finally located the hand-written note.

_To my good friend Makarov,_

_I am entrusting you with this antidote. A friend of mine named Komui has sent someone to retrieve it, but most unfortunately I am currently in Crocus preparing for the Grand Magic Games. I ask that you please give them this on my behalf._

_Hoping to see you and your guild at the Games,_

_Yajima._

Makarov sighed as he folded the paper. "Can't be helped..." he glanced up at Erza, who was waiting expectantly. "You don't mind delivering this antidote, do you, Erza?"

"Of course not, Master."

"Well then, it's in your hands."

"Please leave it to me."

* * *

"You gotta be kiddin' me," Lavi said unbelievably, hanging up the phone for the 6th time. "I can't contact HQ from here."

Allen, who was playing with the buttons of his exorcist jacket and sitting down on a nearby bench, glanced up at the pinkish-orange horizon. "I guess we're stuck here then."

"Unfortunately." Lavi exited the booth and sat down next to the white-haired boy, absentmindedly fixing his eyepatch.

"If we're going to spend the night here, shouldn't we go to a hotel?" Allen asked.

Lavi gave a harsh laugh. "Don't have any money. Well, not _this place's _kind of money anyway."

Just then, Allen's eye suddenly reacted.

"Akuma?!" Allen gasped, jumping up.

"Where is it!? Can you see it?" Lavi said urgently, pulling out his Innocence.

Allen glanced around frantically, his heart beating, searching for the source; a blackish blur was travelling away from the park in which they were in. "It's running away!"

"Alright, I see it! Let's go!" Lavi shouted. The two exorcists were on the run, frantically chasing after the blackish blur, which seem to notice their presence and begun to pick up its pace.

"Don't let it get away Allen!"

"_Innocence activate! __**Clown Belt!**__" _The white cape furiously extended itself and tried to seize the shadow; however, the shadow was too quick.

Allen cursed. "I missed! _**Crown Edge**_**!**" A series of crown-shaped rings shot out of Allen's clawed fingers. The shadow, sensing the moves, expertly dodged it.

_What is this akuma?! It's dodging all of my moves! _Allen gritted his teeth, at a loss at what to do as he kept on chasing after the akuma.

"_**Heaven Stamp: Violent Thunder, Whirling Skies**__!" _A vast storm of lightning suddenly crashed down from the heavens; Allen had to dodge hastily out of the way to avoid it. The shadow, even after getting hit fully with the lightning, did not even bear a scratch.

"Dammit!" Lavi cursed out loud. "Take this : _**Fire Stamp: Hellfire and Ash!**__"_ Fierce flames in the form of a snake appeared, hissing and writhing. It shot its way towards the akuma, and engulfed the black blur into flames.

"I got it!" Lavi cried. However, a few moments later, the flames had completely vanished and the blur reappeared, still unscathed. It then started to sprint at an unnatural speed.

"What the hell is this akuma?!" Lavi cried as he and Allen tried to keep up, but the blur was too fast and continued to sprint out of their view.

"I think we've lost sight of it!" The white-haired exorcist said a few minutes later when they came to a halt and Allen's eye had long deactivated.

Lavi cursed under his breath. Allen could see that he too, was exhausted and worn out.

He straighten up and observed his surroundings. "Where are we? I think we ran quite a bit."

"Quite a bit" was a bit of an understatement. They were now in a woody area. Mountains could be seen some distance away, and they could see a small, run-down tavern on a hill on the other side.

The horizon was now purple-ish black. It was nearing evening.

"Should we spend the night here?" Allen didn't like to spend his nights in a woody forest full of creatures and so forth, but he was tired and hungry, and could see that Lavi was too.

"'S'pose so."

They gathered the biggest leaves they could to make a platform. Then, they pushed up their hoods and used their jackets as blankets.

"'Night, Lavi."

"'Night, Sprout."

"Name's Allen."

Lavi chuckled softly into the night.

A few moments later, his hooded head snapped up.

"What was that noise?"

"... my stomach," Allen said embarrassingly on the other side of the platform.

"Dude, we better get some food into you tomorrow."

Apart from the noise coming from Allen's stomach, the woods were full of crickets and there was a soft green glow deep in the trees.

One by one, the two exorcists began to fall asleep.

* * *

On a hill, some distance away, the tavern doors burst opened and two figures came walking out.

"... don't think it's a good idea to go now, Erza."

"Don't fuss, Gray. The person needing this antidote may be in a life-or-death situation right now."

_Life-or-death? _Gray thought to himself exasperatedly.

"You don't even know the identity of the person you're looking for! It's dangerous at night!"

Erza turned to face him. Gray, expecting her to look pissed off (and he was prepared for it) was quite surprised to see a gentle smile on her stern features.

"I'll be fine. And besides, Yajima provided an identity." She took out Yajima's letter and sweat dropped when she saw the poorly hand-drawn image of a person wearing a black and white coat.

"... You call that an identity?"

"_In any case," _Erza's gentleness vanished in an instant; she was sounding impatient again, "I'll be on my way."

She started to walk down the path when Gray stopped her.

"Gr —" she started to say when he interrupted her.

"Wait, Erza. I don't think you need to search anymore."

"And the reason for that is?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Because I think I just found him. Or _them_, I should say."

* * *

Allen's side started throbbing. Groaning, he turned over on his side. How long have they been asleep? He didn't feel like he slept longer than half an hour. He suddenly heard voices. They were quite near to where he was.

"Is it really them?"

"Just look at the image!"

"Well, yeah, I see the black and white coat, but _really_—"

_Who's talking..._ Allen lazily muttered in his head. He could make out a stern girl's voice and a teenage boy's voice. They seemed to be arguing.

Allen dully cracked one eye open. A reddish-blur was looking back at him. He was so sleepy he didn't notice the blur gently touching his cheek.

"He's cold," the blur said,"we better get them both inside. Gray, help me."

In his sleepy state, he felt someone lift him off the ground. _Crap, I'm being kidnapped... better wake up La...vi..._

He could hear a very noisy crowd somewhere, all laughing and talking and Allen just wanted them to shut up because he was _so damn_ tired right now. The person carrying him kept talking to the teenage boy behind her, who seem to be carrying the still asleep Lavi.

However, he lost the ability to concentrate on anything else and somehow drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Some distance away on the mountain, the blackish-blur was waiting for someone.

"Ah. There you are. Good work." said a new voice.

The blur turned around to face its master.

"Anytime, Master," it said, and vanished.

"Now, then," the new voice drawled as he watched Allen being carried into the tavern, "the boy is in there, isn't he? This is gonna be fun. Allen Walker, I finally found you. You won't escape."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer** : I do not own FT or DGM.

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

A boy with dark blue hair tied up in a long ponytail was sitting crossed-legged in the practice room, meditating when a short-haired girl burst in, interrupting him much to his annoyance.

"Kanda!" Lenalee Lee cried, panting as she threw open the door. "Have you seen Allen-kun and Lavi?"

Eyes closed, the samurai exorcist shook his head, trying to focus. He was expecting Lenalee to go and leave him in peace, but he was sadly mistaken.

"Where could they be? Komui-niisan said they were just going on an errand, but it's already past midnight and I'm just _so _worried! Do you have any idea where they went on their job?"

Again, Kanda shook his head. It wasn't like he was friends with the stupid beansprout and the rabbit anyway.

"What if they were attacked by demons? Or even worse, a Noah? Allen-kun shouldn't be going out at all! I don't know what my brother was thinkin — "

A tick was growing on the side of Kanda's temple. He was getting impatient and was locking his fingers around his sword.

" — he could get seriously hurt and what happens if —"

Now Kanda was trying _really _hard not to snap at her (he was quite fond of Lenalee, but sometimes she just needs to stop blabbering and get to the_ freakin'_ point).

"— so Kanda, can you _please_ come with me to look for them? I'll try to ask my brother, I'm sure he'll allow us, because after all — "

Finally fed up, Kanda held up his Mugen to halt the blabbering girl. Sighing (perhaps out of irritation), he threw on his exorcist coat, buttoned it up, and made his way to the door. Pausing, with his hand on the doorknob, he turned around to face the surprised Lenalee.

"You go look for the stupid beansprout and the rabbit yourself," Kanda said in a would-be-calm voice, "for all we know, they could be dying right now and I don't give a _damn_."

* * *

"I think he's dead!"

"Crap, is he?! I don't think the sign hit him that hard..."

"Damn, he's tall! Look, he's got red hair! Erza, it must be your long-lost brother!"

"Oooh, what about this guy? He has white hair! I think he's related to Lisanna, Mira and Elfman!"

"Whoa, but he has a cool scar on his eye! Look!"

"Dude, this guy has an eyepatch!"

_Ouch, my head hurts..._ _Where am I?_

"Oh, he's moving! I think he's alive!"

"Whew, I thought I killed him for a second."

_Why is everything so noisy?_ _And why is there a table here? _Lavi opened his eye with his back aching due to the wooden table he seemed to slept on. He also found his upper head to be intensely painful. Before he can take in anything else, a sudden pink movement nearly banged the table.

"_You're finally awake!_"

_W-What the?!_ The red-haired exorcist looked freakin' bewildered when he saw a pink-haired guy crouching on the table inches from his face, peering at him.

"_I just wanna ask you one thing," _the pink-haired guy muttered. His eyes were dark and scary, his breath smelled like ... _burned fire? Smoke? What the hell does this guy eat?_ Lavi, who was, admittedly, scared, watched the guy in front of him, panicking and wondering just how the hell he went from sleeping outside in a peaceful forest to sleeping in a noisy room and waking up with a psycho peering at him.

He suddenly realized something.

_Where's Allen?_

"_Hey, I asked you a question! Say something!"_ Lavi's attention snapped back to the breath-smells-like-fire guy.

"W-What?" The bewildered exorcist finally managed to answer.

The pink-haired psycho leaned in even further. "_I just wanted to ask..." _He suddenly straightened up and pointed to something behind him. "Are you related to Erza?!" He asked excitedly, his eyes suddenly bright.

"W-What?!" Lavi said in bewilderment. Looking in the direction the guy pointed, he saw a red-haired figure among the huge crowd, who was wearing an armour with the name _Heart Kreuz_ on the front. "Who's that? Is she suppose to be a sexy female version of me?" Lavi asked. He didn't feel like being in a flirty mood today, something Bookman would actually approve of.

"That's what I thought too!" The psycho exclaimed; he suddenly had a happy-go-lucky feeling about him.

Erza, who looked surprised, merely cleared her throat. "I am no s_exy female version_ of anybody. My name is Erza Scarlet," she said to Lavi.

"Uh, right..." Lavi replied uncertainly. He was still wary of the people in here; they all seemed very suspicious to him and yet at the same time it felt kinda like being back home at the Black Order.

"And I'm Natsu Dragneel!" The psycho finally introduced himself proudly. "Who're you?" he asked.

"Er... Lavi."

"Lavi? Wow! That's almost similar to my name!" A girl with blue hair suddenly exclaimed. She had a colorful bandanna and a bright smile. "I'm Levy McGarden!"

"And I'm Jet!" A skinny guy introduced himself standing beside Levy.

"Droy." A fat guy followed, on the other side.

"Your friend is over here," Erza told Lavi. She lead him over to a black and white bundle that was on the stone floor.

"You gotta be kiddin' me," said Lavi, running his hair through his fingers absentmindedly. _I think we're in the tavern..._ he noticed the room to be full of chairs and tables and there was a pub in the back. The crowd now spilt up, most of them sitting down to a mug of beer and others just standing around, chatting. It was unbelievable how at home Lavi felt. It didn't really feel so different from being back at the Black Order, except all the people here were different.

"We tried to put him on the table, but he seemed to fall over every few seconds," Erza explained, snapping Lavi back to attention.

_Yeah, well, who said Allen was a light sleeper..._ Lavi shook his head at the bundle and glanced up to see a dark-haired boy smiling nervously at him. He was (for some reason) bare chested and Lavi saw a blue insignia on his chest. It looked sort of like a fairy.

"Gray Fullbuster," said the nervous-smiling boy, "I was the one who carried you. And uh, sorry for that," he apologized when Lavi held up his hand to feel his painful head, "the guild isn't too big, and your head hit the sign."

"Guild?" The red-haired boy asked, still gingerly touching his head.

"This is our guild," Gray explained. "Fairy Tail," he added, seeing Lavi's confused expression.

"Fairy Tail?"

"We're gonna be the strongest guild in Fiore!" Natsu suddenly jumped into the conversation. "Your friend is still sleeping? It's already 7 in the morning!" he added in disbelief, watching the bundle that was Allen on the floor.

"Yeah," Lavi said quickly. _Now's my chance!_

"So what's a guild?" Lavi asked Gray, Erza and Natsu. To his surprise, the whole room went quiet and most of the people had their jaws dropped.

"You don't know what a _guild _is? And I thought Natsu was stupid!" Gray said incredulously.

"What did you say, Gray?!"

"I said I thought you were stu—"

"_A guild_," Erza said loudly, cutting off Gray and Natsu, "is an organization of Mages in Fiore."

"Mages?" Lavi felt like he was having a bad dream. _This place is weird. If I'm right, Innocence is..._

"That's right." A new voice chipped in. Everyone glanced around and most people stepped back to let the newcomer walk forward.

It was Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail's 3rd and 6th Master. He walked towards Lavi. "How do you do, young chap?" he reached out a hand and Lavi had to bend down to shake it. "And how about the other fine chap?"

"He's asleep," someone said. Lavi, embarrassed, sighed. _Allen has really bad timing._

"I need to ask you something." Makarov eyed the tall boy. He pulled out Yajima's drawing of a stickman with a black and white coat. "Is this you?"

"Um." Lavi looked up and down at his exorcist coat. "Not the hair or anything, but the coat? Yeah."

"Good enough. Erza!" The Master called. Erza walked forward and pulled out this time, an antidote.

"That's!" Lavi gasped as she gave it to him.

"It's yours, right? I was suppose to deliver this to you."

"Thanks!" Lavi said gratefully.

"So now it's time for you to go?" Gray asked, after he and Natsu stopped fighting.

"Yeah." _Although I still don't have a good feeling about this place._

"I'll wake up your friend," Erza offered.

"No, I'll carry him. Thanks for everything!"

"Come by again if you can!" Makarov called as Lavi, carrying Allen, exited the tavern into the bright morning, with the guild yelling goodbyes behind them.

* * *

"Chief Komui... please open the door..." said the Chief of the Science Division Section One, Reever Wenhamm. He was waiting outside the Chief's study, carrying a huge stack of paperwork.

"Just a second, just a second~" A cheerful voice on the other side of the door called brightly.

_Honestly, you have so much work to do. There's no time to be singing and dancing around,_ Reever thought irritatingly. Just in time (to Reever's relief), the door opened to reveal the Supervisor. He looked most surprised.

"Reever?! What are you doing here? Aren't you sick?" Komui stepped back a little, afraid to catch Reever's contagious germs.

Rolling his eyes, Reever walked into the study and put down the paperwork on Komui's messy desk.

"Chief, stop making excuses to put us all off work."

"What excuses?" Komui asked.

"I'm perfectly healthy, and so is the rest of the Science Department, you know that."

Reever glanced at Komui, who looked shocked.

"Chief?"

"W-Wait, Reever." Komui seemed to be thinking hard. "You're not sick? Nor the Science Department?"

Scratching his head, Reever replied, "Of course not."

"Then..."

"Then?"

"... Who was the one that requested the antidote?"

"What antidote?"

"The antidote to heal your sickness!"

"What sickness?!" _Is the Chief seriously messed up today? _Reever thought bewilderingly.

"Someone from your department just tipped me off saying the Science Department was sick!"

"What?! No! No one did anything of that sort!"

Shocked, Komui sat down at his desk, his hands on his head. "If it wasn't you guys... then who...?"

* * *

Two men from the science department was walking in the hallways when they spotted the storage room door to be slightly, eerily, open.

"That's weird," said the first guy, "didn't we close it this morning?"

"Yeah... it must've opened awhile ago by accident. Just close it," said the second guy.

The first scientist went to close the door when a groan stopped him. "What the?! It's Johnny!"

Johnny Gill was sprawled on the floor of the storage room, groaning in pain with his big glasses lopsided.

"Johnny, what's wrong?!" The two scientists tried to shake their member awake.

"C... Cat." was what came out of poor Johnny's mouth.

"W-What?"

"C...Cat transformed... into... m...me... called... K..." The two scientists stared in horror as Johnny said no more and fainted.

* * *

_Man, what is this antidote? It's freakin' heavy! _Lavi thought to himself as he carried Allen away from the tavern. Since he needed Allen to summon the Ark, he decided he'd better leave the guild in order to order to do so. He had walked deep into the woods so that the tavern of Fairy Tail (he realized that the sign was strangely lopsided and thought it must be due to his head) was no longer in view, and settled Allen on the ground near a small stream.

Now he took the antidote and peered at it. It was full of black liquid, which Lavi found oddly weird, because the bottle felt dense to be just liquid.

_Komui said it was just something to help cure sickness for the science department... but I better make sure first..._

Carefully, Lavi uncorked the bottle and immediately black shadows started to flow out. Sensing a bad feeling, he quickly corked it. _That's not normal... I better go report this in to Komui._

He was about to put the antidote back into his coat pocket when it suddenly slipped and fell onto the ground and the contents spilled.

"Shit!"Lavi cried, picking up the glass shards when he noticed the black liquid seemed to be going in Allen's direction. His eyes widen when he saw Allen was almost covered in the liquid and started to stir.

Allen's skin was turning dark. The white-haired exorcist opened his eyes. They were no longer sliver, but yellow.

Without thinking, Lavi grabbed the younger boy off the ground and threw him into the stream, ignoring Allen's yelps and cries; if Allen was turning into a Noah right now —

"Ouch, Lavi, what was that for!?"

Lavi glanced up and a huge wave of relief spread through his body as he watched Allen's skin turning back into normal and his eyes regaining their original colour; the black liquid didn't have enough time to absorb the younger boy.

"Geez, I'm all wet now..."

"Don't worry about it dude! I just gave you a shower, yeah?" Lavi forced a laugh as Allen huffed and got out of the stream.

_That was bad. Whatever that liquid was, Allen reacted to it._

* * *

"Man, that sucked," said Natsu. He looked disappointed. "I was so sure he was Erza's long-lost brother... hey, Reedus should've painted them together!"

"It has been a weird day," Makarov sighed, watching the noisy guild continue on with their daily life. The guild doors opened again and this time Lucy, Carla, Happy and Wendy barged in.

"_Luce, you just missed the biggest thing ever!"_

"_Wendy, did you see Elfman's younger brother?"_

"Yes, it has," Mirajane agreed, standing beside the Master. The pair of them watched Team Natsu.

"_What?! Erza has a brother?!"_

"_Don't be stupid, Lucy. Of course I don't."_

"You know what's even weirder?" Makarov asked the ex-former S class mage. "That letter Yajima sent?"

"What about it?"

"Well, I just found out today. He doesn't send letters."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer **: I do not own anything from FT or DGM.

* * *

Chapter Four

* * *

"What do you mean, Master, that Yajima doesn't send letters?" Mirajane asked, looking confused.

"Exactly what I mean. That letter was actually from an imposter," Makarov replied, draining his mug of beer.

"Then... why did the imposter send Fairy Tail the antidote to deliver to someone else?"

"Beats me."

* * *

Reever Wenhamm was checking the security cameras in the security room when Komui entered, carrying a mug of coffee that Lenalee supposedly made.

"Chief, Allen and Lavi aren't back yet?"

"Huh?" Komui said blankly. "Oh, no, not yet. A friend of mine in Magnolia Town runs a potion store, you know. I called him saying to expect the two boys, so they should be back soon."

"Who was your friend again? Um, I think it was B... B something? He used to be a finder here, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yup! His name is Buzz. The Medical Section gets all of our supplies from him. Anyway, how's Johnny?" Komui asked, slurping his coffee loudly.

Reever winced at the sound. "Better. I was just checking the cameras via golem to see what happened in the storage room."

"Any luck so far?"

"No," Reever replied disappointedly. "I've checked the video many times, but all I see is just Johnny entering the room and getting the supplies."

"I see," Komui said, his spirits sinking a little. He sipped his coffee again. "You wouldn't mind showing me the tape, do you, Reever?"

"By all means, Chief." The golem Reever was holding flew up into the air and proceeded to show the tape recorded in the storage room.

As Reever exactly mentioned, all Komui could make out was Johnny humming as he entered the room and carrying big boxes of materials to one shelf and another.

However, in the next thirty five seconds, Komui noticed something very odd.

He could see Johnny was rearranging the boxes on one side of the room, but he also saw a strange black little line near the door where it was slightly opened ajar.

Frowning, he bent closer to the golem and could see that the black line actually looked like a little animal's tail.

"Reever, skip forward a bit."

Reever ordered the golem to fast-forward, and then Komui saw something truly astonishing.

Johnny Gill was still stacking boxes on the other side of the room, but on the other side near the corner, there was a pair of glasses hidden fairly well, it was not visible at first sight. But peering even closer to the screening, Komui, with his glasses, could see that the glasses, half-hidden, had big circle patterns, exactly like the one Johnny was wearing in the tape.

Komui straightened up so suddenly that a huge glop of his coffee spilled onto the floor.

"Reever!" he nearly shouted, "tell everyone to get away from the Johnny in the infirmary! It's an imposter!"

"_What? _But Chief—!"

"_Just do as I say!_"

Komui rushed towards the intercom as Reever burst out of the room. He activated the alarm, which rang through the entire building, grabbed the intercom and spoke urgently. "_This is your Chief Officer, Komui Lee speaking! There is an intruder in the building disguised as Johnny Gill! I repeat, Johnny Gill is an imposter! Medical Section, please exit the infirmary! Security Section, secure the building at every possible entrance! Science Section, close the Ark! Exorcists and finders, head towards the imposter!"_

Even as Komui set down the intercom, there was a giant explosion coming from somewhere near the left side of the building; the Black Order was already full of screams and yells.

* * *

"I'm so hungry," Allen complained, sitting on a big rock nearby the stream and taking off his boots and holding them upside down to remove the water inside. They were still deep in the forest.

"Yeah, we haven't ate in like, what? 48 hours?" Lavi watched as Allen put on his boots.

"Well, I'm ready to go home and eat." Allen stood up. "You have the antidote, right?" Lavi had told him all the events that occurred this morning. He felt very embarrassed to discover that he slept in the tavern surrounded by a watching crowd, but nevertheless, it was time to head back to HQ.

"Um, right." The redhead lied.

"Great!" Allen closed his eyes and sang the lullaby in his head, waiting for the Ark to appear. He knew it had worked when he felt a slightly cool breeze and looked up to see the Gate, ready to head back.

"What the— ?"

He was expecting the Gate to be full of light, but instead found himself face-to-face with a closed Gate. The door to the Black Order was sealed.

_What's going on?_

"What's going on?" Lavi asked, plaintively thinking the same thing.

"I don't know... I... it's sealed." Allen could feel panic rising in his chest. He gave Lavi a worried look. "Something probably happened. Lavi, don't you have your golem?" He didn't have Timcampy with him anymore; the golden golem recently decided to follow after General Cross.

The red-haired exorcist shook his head. "My golem was acting weird, so I had to hand it in to fix." He noticed the panic. "Maybe they had some difficulties," he added consolingly, although he knew that wasn't the truth; the Black Order would always deactivate it's Gate if there was an intruder.

"Difficulties?"

"I mean, the science team likes to mess around sometimes, yeah?" Lavi tried to force himself to believe the words coming out of his mouth. However, he didn't manage to convince Allen.

"They wouldn't mess around with the Ark, Lavi," Allen said quietly.

The taller boy placed an arm on the white-haired exorcist's shoulder. "I know it's hard, Allen, but there's nothing we can do if they sealed the Gate."

Allen said nothing as they watched the Gate dissolved into thin air. After a few moments, he spoke.

"I hope Lenalee and Reever-san and everyone else is all right." He felt a pang in his stomach; if only he were there to help...

"No point thinking about it right now. Besides, they've got Yuu! They must be having lunch; anyone messing up his soba is going to get their ass kicked!" Lavi tried to cheer up the younger boy.

"Yeah." Somehow the memory of Kanda and his soba noodles made Allen feel slightly better and he smiled. It was true; Kanda was one of their strongest exorcists.

"Speaking of lunch, we haven't had any." Lavi peered into the stream, where there were hardly any fish in sight. "Shall we try fishing for food?"

So at 2 o'clock, the two exorcists settled down to a depressing lunch of two small fish that Lavi managed to cook with his Innocence.

Allen poked at his grey, slightly burned, fish with a stick. It had a nauseating and unappetizing look to it.

"I really miss Jerry's cooking," he said sadly.

* * *

"I can't believe we're going to the beach!" Lucy Heartfilia exclaimed excitedly.

"You're way too energetic," said Gray Fullbuster. "But this one's _more_ energetic," he added in an undertone, indicating Erza.

Erza seemed to go overboard (as usual) with her oh-so-many luggages. Team Natsu (including Shadow Gear) were on their way to the beach for their three-month training in preparation for the Games. Because the train station in Magnolia seemed to undergo a malfunction, they were forced to walk to the beach instead.

This caused many complaints. Lucy, for example.

"It's so hot... why did the train station pick _now_ out of all times to malfunction?" she said grudgingly, as the group walked nearer into the woods.

"You complain a lot, Lucy." A certain blue cat was sniggering behind its paw, earning a dark look from the stellar spirit mage.

"It's okay, Lu-chan!" Levy said brightly. "It's actually really pretty, walking in the woods!" she was hopping at every step, which reminded Lucy of a blue-haired red riding hood.

Meanwhile at the front, Natsu was happily chanting on to Wendy and Carla about his fight with Gildarts at the S-class promotion exam.

"— and so I was like _wham! wham!_ And Gildarts just went like _bam! bam! _Ya get my drift, Wendy?"

"Oh, yes," Wendy replied innocently, paying more attention to the sound effects rather than what Natsu was saying.

Erza and Gray were fussing over the map directions.

"Master said it was this way, towards the East Forest—"

"Aren't there a lot of Forest vulcans though?"

"They're weak. Even Lucy can handle them."

Erza stepped forward to face the group when they were close to the East Forest. "All right. According to Master, we'll have to pass this forest in order to use the short-cut to get to the beach. Considering the forest's size" — she indicated the area behind her with a wave of her hand — "it's likely we'll have to spend the night here."

"You're kidding right?" Lucy shivered, thinking of sleeping overnight in such a creepy (in her opinion) forest.

"It's just for one night," Gray reminded her.

And so, they walked deeper into the woods with Natsu proudly leading the way, looking for a place to camp. The sky was turning reddish-orange when they finally found a big clearing in the centre of the area.

"This is good enough," Erza said, dropping her luggage on the floor. She opened one and took out a big tent.

"Erza is really prepared," Lucy said in surprise, sitting down on the grass with Levy and watching the stronger female set up the tent with the help of Jet, Droy and Gray.

"I think Natsu and Happy are prepared too," Levy chipped in. Lucy looked over to where Natsu and Happy made camp and her jaw dropped : their tent was the shape of a huge fish.

"Not bad," said Natsu admiringly, absentmindedly touching the fish's eyeball. He turned to Lucy. "Hey Lucy! Wanna sleep with us tonight?"

Lucy gave him a weak smile. "It's okay! I'll sleep with Erza!" she didn't want to wake up in the morning and have Happy possibly eat her alive; the blue Exceed had a habit of eating fish in his sleep.

* * *

Little did Allen and Lavi know that they were also in the East Forest. After they had lunch, Lavi suggested going on a walk to explore the area to distract Allen from thinking too much about what could be going on back at the BO.

At first, both exorcists did not appear to take in the forest's surroundings; they were concerned about their health-being and had many other concerns on their mind. Now, however, they came to the realization that this forest was really, really, _weird._

During their walk, Allen had tripped over a branch. When he straightened up, he glanced up to see a gigantic tree the size of a mansion peering back at him. He considered going inside when a flock of multi-colored birds flew angrily towards him, making him shriek like a girl and he ran back to Lavi.

Lavi kept getting extremely itchy at the back. He kept feeling a tap near his shoulders yet when he turned around there was no one except Allen. When it happened again for the 15th time, he turned around to see a huge pink flower with a long sharp leaf. The flower, apparently caught red-handed, sniggered loudly and hopped away, much to Lavi's bewilderment.

It was moist and warm; Allen took off his coat and went running back for it when a pink half pig and half lizard chomped on it and ran off with his coat.

"We really need to get out of this place," Lavi muttered, watching the pig/lizard and Allen play tug of war over the coat.

"Look at this," Allen cried a few moments later when he won the game and the pig/lizard, angry, ran off. His coat was now torn.

"Bad luck, dude." The red-head chuckled lightly as Allen sighed and started pulling stray threads out of his cuffs.

"I can't believe how fast the day already went," Allen murmured, glancing up at the dark sky. The forest, he noticed, was getting misty and cold. He looked down at his coat sadly and looked up to see Lavi glancing carefully at him.

"You can borrow my coat if you want," Lavi offered generously. "I don't even get that cold."

"That's all right."

The moon was now shining brightly into the dark woods as they prepared to settle down to sleep. They had found leaves the size of blankets to use and odd rocks that were actually quite comfy to use as pillows.

Lavi went to sleep immediately, but Allen, stayed awake...

He was worried about the Black Order; after all it was his home. But he had a nagging feeling that the reason the Gate was closed probably had to do something with him.

Allen felt his back throb and he groaned. He wondered why Lavi had threw him into the stream awhile ago in the morning. His back was aching like crazy. He hated this feeling. He hated the feeling of being useless while everyone else was in trouble, probably fighting for their lives...

_You could do a lot worse you know,_ a voice inside his head said unexpectedly.

This caused Allen to sit up straighter. He blinked his eyes and stared around wildly. All he could make out in the dark was the silhouette of the huge trees and Lavi. He blinked again. Did that voice come from his head? It sounded like a male.

_Who're you?_ He tried saying in his head. To his astonishment, the voice replied back.

_Who am I? That's a good question... I don't feel like answering that yet..._

_Are you the Fourteenth?_

Silence.

_Please say something._

Silence. Then, _there's something strange over there._

"What? Where?" Allen said loudly into the night. The voice inside his head chuckled.

_Noisy one are you? Look over to the right, near the trees – not that tree – one over there -_

Using the voice's directions, Allen glanced at the specifically said tree. The result was instantaneous. His left eye reacted, the cogwheel zooming around frantically, searching for the Akuma's location. He finally found it : the same black blur that he and Lavi tried to chase after yesterday.

Being extremely quiet in order to not rouse Lavi, Allen stood up, alert with his left eye focused entirely on the Akuma's position.

_Don't go straight for it,_ the voice inside his head commanded him.

_What? Why?_

_It's after you. It's been following you since yesterday._

_You've noticed?_

The voice didn't reply and so Allen changed the subject.

_So what should I do?_

_Will you follow my orders?_ the voice asked.

Allen didn't reply right away; it was strange having a stranger inside your head telling you what to do, but at the same time, he felt oddly isolated and lost right now and needed someone by his side for a brief moment.

_Yes._

_I want you to walk casually towards that left tree, near the one with the big bushes,_ the voice commanded, and Allen obliged. Once he was at the location, the voice spoke again.

_Now, walk deep into the forest. It should follow you._

Allen did as he was told. He walked deep into the forest, way out of earshot of Lavi, and could feel the Akuma following him on the opposite side.

_Keep walking for about five minutes._

The white-haired boy walked on and on, each step he took feeling extremely at risk. The Akuma could attack him any moment. Shouldn't he be prepared?

The voice in his head seem to feel his tension. _Don't worry about that right now,_ it said sharply, _just keep walking._

Allen walked on for a few more minutes when he heard a rustling between the bushes around him.

_Good. It's getting closer. Okay, activate your Innocence._

Allen quietly activated his Innocence and then waited. His left eye was pinpointed on a peculiar rosebush behind him, and he knew that was where the Akuma ought to be hiding. He saw the soul of the akuma and a shudder ran through his body; it wasn't a very comfortable feeling.

_I want you to walk a few more steps. On the last one, turn around and attack it._

The white-haired exorcist drew a deep breath, then walked carefully a few more steps. 5, 4, 3... 2... 1 —

"_**Crown Edge!**_"

"_**Deflect!**_"

Allen stared as he watched his attack being deflected by a series of revolving black shadow. The shadow cleared up to reveal his enemy.

Allen exhaled out the breath he had been holding in.

It was a level three. The akuma, a good eight or seven feet tall, glistened in the bright moonlight. Its armour was deep red, and its helmet ended in a large spike like a cone with bits of feather at the end. It was sitting on a branch high up on a tree, gazing down at Allen like a predator watching it's prey.

"Allen Walker." it said slowly, as if tasting the name. "I have been waiting for you."

"You have been following me, haven't you? Did the Earl send you?"

To Allen's great surprise, the akuma put his fingers in his ears and started saying loudly, "_Not telling you, not telling you~"_

"What is he, five?" Allen asked the voice in his head bewilderingly, as the akuma continued to chant in a very childish-way.

_Consider yourself lucky that he isn't one of those blood-thirsty ones,_ the voice said consolingly.

"It's really getting on my— _hey you!_" Allen shouted after the akuma, who had stopped chanting and began to take flight, hopping from tree to tree. It paused on the fifth tree and turned down to glance at an irritated Allen. It stuck its tongue out.

"Catch me if you can!"

"He really_ is_ five! _Come back here!"_ Allen shouted into the night, as the akuma leapt from tree to tree, cackling madly.

* * *

Natsu Dragneel wasn't getting his rest. He slept with a warm blanket and a comfy pillow, but he still tossed and turned while he tried to sleep. He closed his eyes and then opened them again.

"Gahh!" he sat up. "I can't sleep! I'm too excited for tomorrow!"

He changed into his day clothes and was about to quietly exit the fish tent when a voice stopped him.

"Natsu?" Happy's drowsy voice drawled from somewhere in the dark, "Where you going?"

"Going to train," the fire mage replied in a low voice, careful not to wake up anybody (specifically Erza) next door.

"Can I come?"

"Sure, buddy. We'll fish for food after."

Together, the fire mage and his cat quietly exited the tent. They could hear snores from Erza's tent and both sniggered.

"I think the loud one is Luce."

"Aye!"

The pair traveled to their favourite fishing spot. Before they even reached halfway, however, Natsu heard something strange.

"Woah, wait up for a second, Happy."

The blue Exceed rubbed his eyes and glanced around wearily.

"What's wrong, Natsu?"

The Dragon Slayer heard a weird sound : it sounded like someone was hopping from tree to tree — no wait — _two people_ hopping from tree to tree—

He was about to ask Happy to take him up into the air to see what the source was when he heard a big _thump_ and two nearby trees suddenly collided together. The last thing Natsu saw was Happy and himself getting trampled.

* * *

"O-Ouch..." A white-haired exorcist moaned in pain, lying on a few broken branches and a large stump; he had been chasing after the akuma within the trees and tried to attack the enemy but instead made two trees collide. Allen, who had been on one of the collided trees, was nearly crushed and could've died if not for his quick wit to defend himself with his clawed hand.

His hand went up to his cursed eye which was still activated but felt weak : the akuma was within the radius but not near enough to pinpoint its location.

"I need to go after it," Allen muttered. He tried getting up, but his body felt oddly like jelly. He realized his entire body was numb.

"Oh great," the white-haired boy winced in pain. "I think I just destroyed my nerve system." He sighed. If only Lavi were here... Allen now regretted the decision not to wake up the taller boy; he was doing everything wrong by himself.

Moving gingerly with his numb body, Allen tried exiting the now wrecked area when he tripped over something.

"Gah!" he fell face first into the dirt. He spat out a mouthful and groaned. "Why do I keep tripping over things?!" Allen peered over to see what he tripped over. A huge dead weight seemed to weigh on his shoulders.

"Oh my god," he cried, "I just killed a cat!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer :** I don't own FT or DGM!

* * *

Chapter Five

* * *

"I'm such a cruel person," Allen cried, gently tapping the injured blue cat. It didn't move.

_Check to see if its dead,_ the voice inside his mind suggested.

Nervously, Allen placed his ear towards the cat's face, expecting to feel its breath brush against his cheek.

It wasn't breathing.

Now panicking and resorting to desperate measures, Allen tried shaking, prodding, and even slapping the cat. Neither of those methods worked, however.

"W-What should I do now?!" he cried, "it's not moving!"

_Then it's probably dead,_ the voice said flatly.

Allen glanced at the blue cat sorrowfully. His left eye suddenly deactivated and he sighed; the akuma was probably on the run. And he let it slip through his fingers. Again.

He was about to cradle the poor limb cat into his arms when —

"_Allen Walker."_ A stern voice right behind him spoke, almost making him wet his pants.

He knew who that voice belonged to. The white-haired exorcist hastily gulped and turned around nervously. Sure enough, Lavi towered over him, a not-so-happy expression on his face.

"L-Lavi," Allen was about to speak when the taller boy interrupted him.

"Look, can you _please _not disappear every time I go looking for you?" he demanded. "I woke up to find _this_" — he held up Allen's torn exorcist coat — "you had me worried."

"Sorry. It was kind of an impulsive moment."

"Impulsive how? And what are you doing?" Lavi eyed the blue cat suspiciously in Allen's arms.

Allen told him what happened.

"... and so I tried going after it, but then I made these two trees collapse, so I lost sight of the akuma. Anyway, I got up and suddenly tripped over this little guy." He glanced down at the cat again sadly.

Lavi's eye softened when he saw the cat. "It's not dead, is it?" Seeing the cat made him relive the memories of when he and Bookman witnessed the aftermath of a war.

"I don't know," Allen replied worriedly, "I tried everything."

"Here, let me."

The cursed boy gently passed over the cat to the other exorcist. Lavi held the blue creature up so that it was standing, and suddenly whacked it on the back, hard.

"Wh-What are you doing!?" Allen cried, wondering if Lavi lost his sanity.

"It got something stuck in its throat. Look, there's a lump." Lavi turned the cat towards Allen, and Allen, looking closer, saw a small bump in the middle of the cat's neck.

"Oh. Why didn't I notice that before?" Allen wondered out loud, as Lavi continued whacking the cat on the back.

"H-Hey, you're hitting it too hard..."

"I'm suppose to, Allen. Seriously, you're such a soft guy."

The cat suddenly coughed.

"It's alive!" Allen cried in relief. "Keep going, Lavi!"

Lavi started hitting more determinedly then stopped when the cat began to produce a hacking cough.

"Did I whack him too hard?" he said worriedly, as the blue tomcat turned around to face him, still coughing. It looked like it was choking and was trying to get something out.

"Hey little guy, are you—" A small branch suddenly shot out of the cat's mouth and struck Lavi right in the eye.

"_Ow_!" Lavi cried in pain, clutching his eye as the tomcat looked up at him. "It swallowed a freakin' branch!"

"_Oh, it's a pirate!"_ the cat cried, pointing a paw at Lavi in disbelief.

"I'm not a pirate! Don't say that to someone who just saved your life!" Lavi burst out. His swollen eye suddenly widen painfully and he leaned in closer towards the tomcat. "W-Wait, did you just talk?"

"Aye, sir! My name is Happy! Are you a pirate?"

"_I just told you, I'm not a pirate_!"

"It... It talks," said Allen, looking baffled. "Not even _Tim_ talks..." He was starting to wonder whether he was going crazy.

"Mr. Pirate, you're wearing the eyepatch the wrong way. It's suppose to cover the bad eye," said Happy, much to Lavi's annoyance.

"What were you doing?" Allen asked the Exceed, glad that it was alive.

"Oh! I was travelling with my partner and... and..." Happy's eyes suddenly widen. The tomcat looked around wildly. "I can't find my partner! WHERE ARE YOU, NATSUUUUU?" Happy screamed at the top of his little lungs, blasting Allen and Lavi's eardrums.

"C-Calm down!" Allen cried hastily, but the blue Exceed continued to bellow desperately, ignoring Allen.

"Lavi, help me!"

"_I can't hear you, Allen!"_ Lavi shouted as equally loud as Happy, _"I'm momentarily deaf and blind!"_

* * *

A particular ice mage was roaming around the dark forest, sighing as he did so. He couldn't sleep either, for Jet and Droy was snoring so loudly, it made his brain vibrate through his skull. Finally fed up with it, Gray decided to just get out of the tent and go out for a walk. He was strolling through the trees along the path, slightly humming when he heard someone speak.

"... this isn't good, I lost him," a worried voice was saying. The speaker appeared to be just ahead of him, sitting on a huge stump surrounded by some broken twigs and branches.

Gray hurriedly concealed himself behind a red tree. His heart seemed to beat a bit faster. Did a scene occur here? Did a dark guild appear? Should he go back and warn Erza?

The ice mage quickly scowled himself. What was he doing, overreacting? He should just calm down and quietly observe.

"This isn't good, this isn't good!" the voice kept crying out, sounding as if it was going to be doomed. "Master said to lure the boy to him, but instead I caught this guy!"

_Caught?_ Gray peered closely around the edge of the tree, curious. He saw the back of the speaker.

It was the akuma, with its deep, red, shining armour and cone helmet. It was crouching down with its hands over its head.

But Gray, who didn't know what an akuma was, immediately mistaken it for a slimy lobster due to the pose. Indeed, he actually thought it was one of Lucy's celestial spirits, Cancer, in a red costume for a second.

While the akuma continued to blab on endlessly about how his Master was going to punish him and how he was forever doomed, Gray took the time to observe the scene.

A huge tree was ripped out of its roots, no doubt having collided onto the ground. A bird's nest was cruelly destroyed, sharp branches and dead leaves littered the ground, and laying limply by a large stump, unconscious, was -

_Natsu?!_ Gray stared at the fire mage in bewilderment and confusion. What the hell happened to him? Why was Natsu here?

His eyes darted back towards the akuma, who was still childishly whining.

_Don't tell me this guy beat him up?_

Gray stepped out from his tree and spoke in a loud voice.

"Hey, you lobster freak."

The akuma whipped around and Gray, seeing that it wasn't a lobster that he was expecting it to be, saw its body armour and hidden face.

_What the hell is that?_

"What did you do to him, you bastard?" Gray jerked his head at Natsu's body. He suddenly stripped off his shirt and positioned himself into a battle stance, with his left fist over his right palm.

The akuma held up his hands hastily. "Wait! I'm not your enemy! Don't— don't hurt me!" he whimpered.

"What?" Gray stared at the demon in surprise. "I heard you. You said you _"caught him"_!"

"That's not what I meant! W-Wait!" The akuma cried, but Gray already made his move.

"_**Ice-Make : Saucer!**__"_

"DON'T HURT MEEEEEEE!" The akuma shrieked like a girl, squealing as a large, sharp iced spinning disk sprung its way towards him, cutting down the trees effortlessly.

Abandoning all pretence, the akuma jumped off from the ground and sprung onto a nearby tree, where it begun to leap from branch to branch, avoiding the saucer.

"Oi! Get down here and fight like a man, you freakin' wuss!" Gray roared. _"__**Ice-Make : Hammer!**__"_

The akuma let out a shrill noise and nearly lost his footing on his tree as a huge hammer from above dropped down on him; he managed to avoid the attack by hastily leaping to another branch. _"But I'm not a maaaaaan!"'_

"What?!" Gray looked flabbergasted. "W-Wait, you're a tranny?!" he said incredulously, as the akuma tried to balance himself on a long branch. He didn't stay there for long, though.

"_**Ice-Make : Ice Canon!**__"_ A cannonball of ice shot out of Gray's canon. It successfully blasted the tree in which the akuma was taking refuge with massive damage and Gray watched as his enemy fell to the ground, its armour broken.

Gray scoffed. _How weak is this guy? _He was starting to doubt that the akuma had beat up Natsu.

"D-Don't kill me!" the akuma whimpered as Gray came closer. Gray paused and placed his hand on top of the akuma's helmet. The akuma stared in horror as ice began to cover parts of his body. After a horrible cry, he was completely covered in ice.

"That should do it," Gray muttered. He glanced at the frozen akuma, who still had a pleading look on his face. "You should be lucky I didn't kill you."

Gray turned his back on the akuma, making his way towards the still unconscious Natsu when someone applauded behind him.

"That was interesting," a voice spoke, still clapping. "I learned a lot."

Gray swung around and stared at the newcomer.

A tall man stood before him, formally clothed, his dark, wavy hair tied in a ponytail. His skin was dark, and there was a mole under his eye.

Gray's first immediate impression was that this guy, whoever he was, was dangerous.

"I'll be taking my servant over there. Oh look, you've made him into a masterpiece," said the man, who walked up to the frozen akuma. He suddenly paused. "Actually..."

Gray let out a gasp when the frozen akuma suddenly burst into a million of shards, forever gone.

"_You bastard! _He was your ally!" Gray said furiously. "_Don't go around killing so lightly!"_

The man stared at Gray with amusement. "Why are you so angry? He was useless after all; I was going to destroy him anyway."

"Y-You..." Gray couldn't believe this guy. "Those are lives..."

The man gaped at the ice mage. Then he began to laugh, his hands over his eyes, his laugh eerily echoing all over the forest. "Oh, you crack me up..."

"What's so funny?!" Gray snarled.

The dark-skinned man removed his hands from his eyes. "I think you've got it all wrong, boy. My servant wasn't even human." He smirked at Gray's dumbfound expression and suddenly vanished, leaving the ice mage feeling entirely confused.

* * *

A giant clock hovered over the building of the Black Order, restoring the wrecked areas and the injuries of the exorcists and finders, but Miranda Lotto could not go on for much longer—

"STOP!" she cried hysterically, as multiple of finders collapsed all around her. _"You're going to die!"_

A young dark-skinned woman with dark hair and gold eyes smirked as she watched the sobbing exorcist.

"_Miranda!" _Lenalee Lee cried, dashing forwards towards the older woman; there were massive injuries all over her body.

"Lenalee-chan!" Miranda cried in relief, as Lenalee's injuries began to heal instantly due to Miranda's Time Recovery.

"You're my opponent!" Lenalee told the Noah, glaring at her. "I won't let you destroy the Order again!"

"Someone with the likes of you will never defeat me," Lulubell said matter-of-factly. "You're weak."

_"Shut up! _You're after Allen-kun, aren't you?! I won't let you near the Ark!"

"I have no use for the Ark. My work has been done." With that, Lulubell slid through the wall, about to exit.

"_I'm not done with you!"_ Lenalee shouted furiously.

The Noah paused. "I see... You want a present from me? Well then—" she snapped her fingers and the Chinese girl gasped as a giant army of akumas descended from a dark matter hole.

"There's your present. Enjoy." Lulubell smirked evilly as she slid through the wall, exiting the Order.

_W-What did I just do...? I made more akumas_ _appear!_ Lenalee stared in horror at her mistake as she watched the scene before her.

"L-Lenalee-chan, I can't hold on much longer!" Miranda cried weakly, panting as everything around her continued to heal.

"Hang in there, Miranda!"

Lenalee darted her eyes back towards the gigantic group of akumas, her heart furiously beating. She could see a large number of Level Twos, and even a larger number of Level Threes. There were no Level Ones.

"_**Waltz : Mist Wind!**__"_ A gigantic tornado wiped out all of the Level Twos. However, the Level Threes were barely scathed. Lenalee gritted her teeth. She had trouble with just one level three akuma before, and now there were more than one hundred of them...

_I can't do it. I can't defeat all of them._

There was a sudden movement and Lenalee cried in agony as one level three akuma sprinted up towards her out of nowhere and slammed his armoured fist right into her stomach; she could feel her intestines rattling from the impact and blood burst out of her mouth—

"_**Eight Flower Mantis!**__" _The injured girl stared as the akuma was slashed eight times in the form of a flower and exploded. She glanced up weakly at her saviour.

"K-Kanda..." she gasped.

"_Move!"_ Kanda snarled, and Lenalee was pushed backwards. "If you don't want to die, then fight! Don't just space out!"

Lenalee stared after the samurai exorcist, who had already begun to chop down half of the remaining akumas.

_That's right... Allen-kun never gave up..._

She stood up gingerly and closed her eyes.

_Everyone is trying their best... I have to do my best too!_

With that said, she snapped her eyes open and jumped into the hell of chaos that was her home.

* * *

Gray stared at his guild mate. As far as he can see, Natsu didn't look like he got his ass kicked. So why the hell was the Dragon Slayer unconscious?

So Gray was forced to do what he _hated_ doing.

Checking Natsu.

_Arms : check._

_Legs : check._

_Chest : check._

_Stomach : needs to freakin' diet— I mean, check._

And finally, Gray checked the head and located a giant purple bump that was hiding between the fire mage's hair.

Flabbergasted, Gray looked at the purple bump on Natsu's head to the large stump that was right in front of him. The bump and the hole diameter of the stump was the exact same size.

The ice mage face palmed. "The idiot freakin' slammed his head onto the stump..."

* * *

"NAAAAAAAATSUUUUUUU!" Happy bellowed like a foghorn, "WHERE ARE YOUUUUUU?!"

_"Happy-san!"_ Allen cried out exasperatedly for the tenth time, "please lower your voice!"

"Oh, sorry." The blue Exceed apologized.

"That aside— I can't believe you can actually fly." Allen gaped at the tomcat in amazement. "What planet did you come from?"

"Actually, I come from Edolas!" Happy announced happily, flying around Allen's head like a blue halo.

"Edo— whaa?" Allen asked.

"It's a parallel dimension of this world! But they don't have any magic over there anymore."

"When you say magic," Allen began, careful to phase his question so he didn't sound suspicious, "you mean magic as in cards and tricks, right?"

"Cards and tricks?" Happy little's face looked baffled. "Nope! Magic as in really strong magic power! We use it to fight dark guilds!"

"Dark guilds?"

"They're the bad guys who also use magic."

"So... this Edolas... it exists?"

"Aye! I come from Edolas after all! The King actually tried to steal our magic, but in the end, Edolas had no magic left, and so everyone with magic power had to come to Earthland!"

Happy hastily put his paw over his mouth. "Whoops. I think I said too much." The blue Exceed hastily took off and started yelling out for Natsu again.

"Parallel dimension, huh?" Lavi said quietly, who had heard Happy speak. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Allen?"

"What, food?" Allen replied blankly, and Lavi face palmed, careful not to hit his swollen eye.

"Is food all you think about?"

"I'm sorry, I'm hungry!"

They walked on for a few moments when Lavi spoke again.

"What I meant was : everything about this place," Lavi said quietly so that Happy, who was still busy shouting, could not hear them. "You know my theory about Innocence being located here, right?"

"Yeah, about that, Lavi," Allen glanced up at the taller boy, "I think you're wrong."

Lavi looked taken aback.

"I mean," Allen continued, "Yes, it's weird how we're seeing strange magic everywhere, but according to Happy-san, everyone here sounds as if they had magic all their life. Plus, if there was Innocence here, I would also think it's strange, seeing how we didn't see hardly any akumas except one so far. The Earl is determined to destroy all the Innocence in the world after all."

"So... what you're saying is..."

"Well, I may be wrong... but... " Allen paused. "I think this magic... this Fiore... has always been here."

Lavi look unconvinced, so Allen tried again.

"What about the parallel dimension, Edolas? Innocence can't create a parallel dimension, let alone a city. It can only affect the people living in it."

"Exactly. You don't know for sure that Innocence could've implanted everyone here with false information and memories, so that they _think_ there is a parallel dimension called Edolas," Lavi fought back. "We can only take people's word for it. We don't know for sure whether it's true or not."

"Okay, but what about creatures like Happy-san?"

Lavi looked stumped at the question. "Well..."

"Uh-huh," Allen began sardonically, "don't tell me Innocence can make people change into flying cats that can talk."

"Fine, you're right about that, but what about this Edolas? Can you really take Happy's word for it that it exists? I don't think so."

"So what's your opinion?" Allen asked, disgruntled that Lavi had found a loop on his theory but glad that he had proven Lavi wrong on one particular point as he, Lavi and Happy continued walking along a path.

"I'm half convinced, half not," the red-head replied.

"I thought you were so sure it was Innocence," Allen said sarcastically as Lavi spoke.

"Well, yeah! But after staying in this place for awhile, I'm starting to think you're right— but that doesn't mean I completely agree," he added, watching Allen's surprised expression. "I just remembered something."

"What is it?"

"You remember one of the Noahs, Road?"

"Yes," Allen replied. He was not going to forget about Road in a hurry - despite looking like a child, she was quite dangerous.

"Well, during my fight with her, she said she was one of the Noah who could travel through dimensions." Lavi paused, apparently thinking hard. "She said that she could control the original Ark. So there might be a possibility that the Ark could also be used to travel through different dimensions, if Road had the ability to control it back then."

"So... what you're saying is...?" Allen watched the taller exorcist, his eyes bright.

"What I'm saying is... I think you're right," Lavi finished lamely. "I think we're in another dimension."

_"Yes!"_ Allen cried, pumping his fist in the air. "I was right!"

Lavi watched him with mild amusement. "But that still doesn't cross out the fact that there might be Innocence here. In case you haven't noticed, we can use our Innocence just fine."

Allen scowled.

"Geez, Lavi. You just don't like the fact that you're wrong."

"Yeah," Lavi replied, smiling. "I don't."

* * *

"Natsu! Oi, wake up!"

_What the..._

"Oi! Can you hear me?! Dammit... looks like I have no choice."

_Is it me... or do I hear Gray's ugly voice...?_

The Dragon Slayer was unable to process any more information after that, because the next second his bum was covered in ice. The freezing impact made Natsu jump up and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Oops, I think I froze it too much," Gray murmured, watching Natsu run around wildly, his eyes nearly popping out. The fire mage quickly heated up his hand and froze the ice, sighing in relief.

"Damn, Gray, what the hell do you think you're doing, freezing someone's ass?!" Natsu said angrily.

"It's not my fault you didn't wake up, you idiot! I had no choice!" Gray argued back.

"Don't call me a— wait a minute..." Natsu suddenly gaped at the ice mage, looking like he just saw a ghost. "_Gray?!_ What are you doing here? And why are you stripped?!"

"Tch, you're finally awake," Gray sighed. "In any case, let's go back." The ice mage glanced around. "By the way, where's Happy? Was he with you?"

"Ha— " Natsu's eyes suddenly expanded. "HAPPY! Shit, I forgot about him!"

"O-Oi!" Gray called out in exasperation after the fire mage, who began to take off again. "That guy..."

He suddenly heard another bloodcurdling scream and jumped back in alarm as Natsu came dashing back again.

"What are you screaming for?!"

"G-Gray..." Natsu began, feeling his head. "W-Why..."

"What's wrong?" Gray asked, seriously alarmed.

"WHY IS THERE A FREAKIN' LUMP ON MY HEAD?!"

* * *

"NAATSUUUU!" The familiar cry of Happy echoed through the forest for the 52th time.

"That cat can scream..." Lavi said flatly.

"I wonder why my eardrums aren't ruptured yet," Allen winced in pain as Happy began shouting again.

They had walked on for so long that Allen's legs were becoming like jelly. He was alert during their search, hoping for a sign of the akuma from earlier, but it did not appear. He wanted to take a rest, but decided against it, since Happy was so desperate to keep searching for this Natsu.

"By the way, Happy-san," Allen walked up faster to talk to the cat, "who is this Natsu person?"

"Oh! Natsu is awesome! We train together, eat together and play together! Natsu is my first best friend!"

"Really? That sounds nice." Allen smiled as Happy began to babble on about his life with Natsu.

Lavi, who was walking behind them with his hands behind his head, frowned.

_Natsu... I think I heard that name before..._

"Hey, Lavi?"

"Hm?"

"Do you... hear something?"

The group stopped walking. Sure enough, the red-haired exorcist could make out noises from somewhere nearby.

"It sounds like someone's talking," he said to Allen.

_Is it the akuma? But wait, my eye hasn't activated..._ Allen listened harder. He could definitely make out voices and what sounded like footsteps.

"Happy, d'you think you can fly ahead to check what it is?" Lavi asked the blue Exceed.

"Aye!" Happy was just about to take off into the air when they heard a hair-raising scream.

"_OUCH, OUCH, OUCH OUUUUCH!"_ someone cried.

_"Honestly, you idiot, don't trip every few steps!"_ a tired voice scowled the other voice.

The footsteps were coming closer now. Allen, Lavi and the blue Exceed stared, waiting. Then—

"Gah!" A pink haired guy clambered out into the clearing and suddenly toppled onto the ground, followed closely by a figure with dark hair who stopped at the sight of the two exorcists.

_"You!_" Lavi and Gray exclaimed in bewilderment at the same time.

"W-What are you doing here?!" Gray asked.

"I could ask you the same thing!"

_"Natsu!"_ Happy said in astonishment.

The Dragon Slayer looked up to see his partner. "Ha-Happy!"

"Natsuuuuu~!" The blue Exceed cried, flying towards the fire mage.

"Happyyyyyy~!" The fire mage yelled out in joy, getting up and running towards the flying cat and the two embraced.

"Wow, that's some deep love," said Lavi, watching the affectionate scene.

"N-No way..." Allen looked baffled. "And all along I thought Natsu-san was a female cat..."

"Oh, it's you again!" Natsu said to Lavi in surprise, after he and Happy happily reunited. "Um... what was your name again? Gravy?"

"It's Lavi, and _I know you're laughing!_" Lavi said to Allen, who was trying to turn his laugh into a hacking cough.

Natsu caught sight of the white-haired exorcist.

"Hey! You were the one who was sleeping in our guild yesterday!" he said to Allen. "I heard a really loud noise coming from your stomach," he added.

"S-Sorry about that," Allen said quickly, his cheeks turning red. _"And don't laugh!"_ he cried to Lavi, who was sniggering this time.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel!" The fire mage introduced himself. "The stripper over there is Gray."

"I can introduce myself just fine!" the stripper exclaimed, looking disgruntled.

Allen smiled to Natsu. "Please pardon my rudeness. My name is Allen Walker. Nice to meet you." He let out a gloved hand, and Natsu took it, suddenly shaking Allen's arm excitedly.

"Dude, you talk so funny!" The fire mage burst out loud, "Just like those guys in the stories that Lucy writes!"

"What?!" Allen cried in bewilderment as Natsu and Happy began tackling him with questions such as, "Do you wash your hands after you use the toliet?" and "What noise do you make when you pick your nose?"

"Sorry for this," Gray said to an amused Lavi, "that guy is really an idiot."

"No problem," Lavi replied, watching Allen embarrassingly answering the questions.

"So, what were you guys doing in the East Forest?" The ice mage asked the red-haired exorcist.

Lavi hesitated.

"We... wanted to explore a bit," he replied lamely, but Gray didn't seem to think it was suspicious; the ice mage merely nodded.

"You guys?"

"We're on our way to the beach for our training."

"You guys have a _beach_ here?" Lavi had never been to a beach before.

"Yeah."

The exorcist and the ice mage were quiet for awhile, watching Natsu say something and Allen sputtering in bewilderment.

"By the way, Gray," the red-haired exorcist looked at the ice mage from the corner of his eye, "aren't you suppose to be wearing a shirt?"

_"Oh, shit!"_ Gray cried out, after looking down at his body.

* * *

The sky was gradually turning yellowy-orange and the two exorcists, mages and the Exceed glanced up at the horizon.

"It's already morning," Allen said. He hadn't gotten at least one hour of sleep and yet for some odd reason he didn't feel so exhausted.

"Hey, you guys going anywhere?" The fire mage asked Allen, absentmindedly scratching his nose.

"Well..." the white-haired exorcist glanced at Lavi. They were planning to summon the Gate to the Order again, but what if it was still sealed?

"We're not sure," Lavi answered for him. "We're just travelling around."

"Why don't you guys come to the beach with us?!" Natsu asked the exorcists excitedly. He looked at Allen. "Lucy would kill to talk to someone like you!"

"Oh..." Allen said blankly, plainly wondering who this Lucy person was. He looked uneasily at Lavi. Should they go with these people?

Lavi was apparently thinking the same thing, for he shrugged his shoulders at the cursed boy.

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" Natsu beamed at them, Happy saying "Aye!" over his shoulder. "I don't want to be stuck with just Gray and Jet and Droy!" he said, making Gray scowl.

"The same goes for me," Gray chipped in, throwing his shirt on.

Lavi scratched his head uneasily as he looked at the situation he was in. It was either :

A) They ditch these people and wait for the Gate to the Order to be unsealed (and that could take quite a bit of time), waste their time just sitting around waiting for the Gate to be opened, and have their minds lose its way to insanity.

or

B) Stick with these friendly people and travel around with them because not only were they company, they were _mages_, and Lavi was itching to know more about the dimension they were in. Plus, they could always ditch them anytime when the door was unsealed.

"Okay," Lavi finally said, after doing a lot of thinking, "we'll go with you guys."

He caught sight of Allen's alarmed expression and gave him a meaningful look.

"Yahoo!" Natsu let out a whoop. "I can't wait to see Lucy's expression! You are_ exactly_ the guy she was describing about in her story!" he laughed gleefully at Allen, who returned the laugh nervously, now afraid to meet this Lucy person.

"Let's head back," Gray announced, and he, Natsu and Happy took the lead, while the two exorcists walked a little distance behind.

Quietly and quickly, Lavi told Allen what the plan was. He was actually surprised to see Allen agreeing without hesitation.

"I'm a lot more worried about what's going back on at the Order," he admitted, after when Lavi asked him why.

"All right!" Natsu exclaimed proudly when they had arrived at the campsite.

"A-Amazing..." said Allen in awe, taking note of the three tents. "It's just like camping."

"Look at mine and Happy's te—" the fire mage was suddenly cut off when something hard and shiny punched his face and he went flying backwards.

"Th-This isn't good..." Gray said in a small voice, looking at the person who just attacked Natsu.

_"Gray!" _Erza Scarlet said menacingly, cracking her knuckles through her armour. She started advancing on him. "_You're next!"_

_"C-Crap!"_ Gray squawked.

"Y-You know..." Allen began uncomfortably to Lavi as they watched Erza crushing Gray with a sickening noise, "I think she's scarier than Lenalee..."

"Oh no, Allen, you're wrong." The two exorcists looked away from the revolting scene as poor Gray let out a bloodcurdling scream, "I think she's a lot more hella scarier than _Yuu._"


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer :** I don't own FT or DGM!

* * *

Chapter Six

* * *

Road Kamelot was sitting lazily in a chair, sucking on a lollipop and twirling around a pink cane umbrella that had a pumpkin head attached to it with one arm.

"Ouch~lero! Road-sama, you're hurting me~lero!" The small, talking jack-o-lantern winced horribly in pain as Road absentmindedly banged him on the floor.

"When is Tyki coming back?" Road sighed, releasing Lero and continuing to suck on her candy, "I want to see Allen!"

The pumpkin-on-umbrella looked most displeased. "Road-sama, that boy is an exorcist~lero! You can't get mixed up with him~lero!"

Road ignored him. She sighed again. "Tyki's so late..."

"Missing me already?" Tyki Mikk's voice suddenly spoke out of nowhere, and the next second he entered the strange purple-ish room.

"_Tyki!"_ Road jumped off her chair excitedly and somewhat floated towards him. "Did you bring Allen?!" She stared over Tyki's shoulder, expecting to see the white-haired exorcist tied up somewhere.

Tyki sighed. What is it with Road and her Allen obsession?

"Nope. Sorry, kiddo," he apologized, ruffling her spiky blue hair.

Clearly disappointed, the little Noah narrowed her eyes. "Why didn't you bring him? I was excited for nothing."

Tyki strolled past her and stole her chair. Sitting comfortably, he said, "The akuma I sent failed. In the end, I had to destroy him," he said boredly.

"That's why I said to use a better one!" Road looked disgruntled. "The Earl won't be happy."

"I know he won't be," Tyki sighed.

"Why didn't you just bring Allen here yourself? I don't know why you even bothered to talk to that old man. You didn't need to use any of those weak akumas either," said Road matter-of-factly, now chomping off bits of her lollipop.

"Old man?" Tyki said blankly.

"The one that looks like an old chef."

"You've been following me around, haven't you, Road?"

"I just wanted to see Allen."

Tyki rolled his yellow eyes.

"That old chef, Yajima, is actually crucial to my plan. He told me something very interesting... something about the Grand Magic Games."

"Grand Magic Games?" Road wrinkled her nose. "What's that? Is it fun?"

The third Noah got up from the chair. "I'll tell you more later at dinner," he said, starting to leave.

"_Tell me about it now!" _Road shouted after him.

* * *

Natsu and Gray were so badly injured, both of them looked like they were in need of a full-body cast. But their pain didn't stop there.

"_Next time you decide to run off somewhere, inform me, got that?"_ Erza demanded, grabbing them both by the collar and making them wince.

"Y-Yes," the two, injured scaredy-cats said hastily.

"Thanks to your actions, everyone else was worried and went off to search for you two. Give them a proper apology when they come back. Do I make myself clear?" Erza said sternly.

"_Yes,"_ Natsu and Gray repeated, and Erza released them much to their relief.

Erza suddenly caught sight of Allen and Lavi, who hastily stepped back, afraid that she was going to beat the crap out of them too, but to their surprise, she smiled.

"I wasn't expecting to see you again," she said directly to Lavi, walking towards them.

"Us either," Lavi replied nervously.

"Were you travelling with Gray and Natsu? I hope they didn't give you any trouble." The female mage gave her two guild mates a dark look.

"Absolutely no trouble at all," Allen replied, quietly thanking Natsu and Gray.

Erza looked at Allen in surprise. "I believe we haven't been introduced. Erza Scarlet," she said formally, whipping out an armoured hand for the cursed boy to shake.

Allen shook her hand. "Allen Walker," he said just as formally, smiling. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Erza looked impressed. "You have some good manners. It's a shame that some people don't," she said pointedly, once again giving Natsu and Gray who were busy examining their injuries, a dark look.

"_Natsu-san! Gray-san!" _someone exclaimed, and everyone looked around.

It was Wendy, her long hair flying behind her as she hurried anxiously towards them. Behind her was the rest of the group : Lucy, Levy, Carla, Jet and Droy, all looking relieved at the sight of Natsu and Gray and looking surprised at the sight of Lavi and Allen.

"Don't heal them, Wendy," Erza said sharply as the little Dragon Slayer rushed to Natsu's and Gray's aid, "those injuries are proof of their punishment."

"I'm really sorry," Wendy said timidly, as both the fire mage and ice mage winced in pain.

Meanwhile, everyone else was busy staring at Lavi and Allen. There was an awkward silence.

Jet was the first to break it. "You're Lavi, right?" he said to him, as Levy gave Lavi a cheerful wave.

"Yep." Lavi grinned, glad that someone got his name right and returning Levy's wave. "You're Jet?"

"You remembered my _name?_"

"... Aren't I suppose to...?"

Lucy introduced herself to the two exorcists.

"I'm Lucy!" she beamed at them, extending out a hand. "Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Allen. It's very nice to meet you too."

_So this is Lucy... she's the complete opposite of what I thought she would be..._ Allen thought to himself. He found Lucy to be very..._ bright_, with her blonde hair loose and her huge brown eyes that seemed to sparkle. He had to admit... _she was cute._

Lavi was apparently thinking the same thing. "S-Strike!" he squealed out loud. He jumped forwards and took Lucy's hand, much to her surprise.

"My name is Lavi, and I must say,_ you're totally my type_~!" he cried out, while everyone else stared in confusion at his sudden change in character and Allen face palmed.

"Excuse me?" Lucy blinked, now strongly reminded of Loki.

"Don't mind him," Allen told her hastily, snatching Lavi by his scarf and pulling him away as the red-haired boy continued to swoon over her, "he's just — he's —" Allen was obviously casting around a good word to describe Lavi's actions, "— just infatuated," he finished lamely.

Erza was now dragging Gray and Natsu by the back of their shirts and pulled them forwards to face the group.

"Say it," she demanded, and Natsu and Gray looked up sheepishly at everyone.

"Sorry for making you worry about us," they said in unison, and everyone laughed kindly.

Lavi seemed to be coming out of his reverie. Allen released him by the scarf and the taller boy grinned at him with a dreamy expression.

"Dude, she totally meets my standards!" he whispered excitedly to Allen, as they watched Lucy and everyone else pack up the tents.

Allen let out a noise of exasperation.

"What was up with Gravy?" Natsu asked, when Allen came by to help pack up his and Happy's tent. Happy was putting a bandage on his arm. "He looked funny."

"He was just having one of his moments," Allen replied, looking to where Lavi was helping Gray clean up the bonfire. "More importantly, are you okay?" He could see the spots where Erza attacked the fire mage even from beneath the bandage and his pity for Natsu doubled.

"Don't worry 'bout me! I get these all the time!" Natsu flashed a toothy grin.

"_All the time?" _Allen gaped at him; Natsu was now officially ranked first on his "Top Survivors" list.

"All right. I think that's the last of it," Erza announced, when all the tents were packed and put away. She was tying all of her huge luggages together with a firm rope.

"You guys are heading to the beach, right?" Lavi asked Gray, who had whipped out a map and was examining it.

"Yeah. We're not that much far away." Gray peered at the map.

"ALL RIGHHHHT! I'm ready to trainnnn!" Natsu exclaimed, his tongue rolling out in flames, causing Allen, who was beside him, to yelp in shock.

* * *

So Team Natsu, Shadow Gear, Lavi and Allen went on their way to the beach.

Taking the lead was Erza with her gigantic luggage, Gray and Lavi.

Behind them were Jet, Droy, Levy, Wendy, Happy and Carla.

Natsu, Allen, and Lucy took up the rear.

Lucy had pulled out her notebook and she and Natsu were busy asking Allen certain questions.

"_No way!" _She and Natsu cried in unison, after Allen had told them that he preferred classical music. Both of them stared at Allen with something close to wonder.

"Allen... I know this is creepy, but you sound like my dream guy," Lucy said weakly, looking flabbergasted. She flipped through her notebook. "Your answers exactly match my description."

"_That's so creepy!"_ said Natsu, as Allen laughed nervously, unsure of what to say and thinking that the notebook must be jinxed.

Lucy and Natsu kept badgering him with questions as they continued walking, and while Allen answered, he couldn't help but notice how easy it was to converse with them, no more difficult, in fact, than talking to Lavi or Lenalee. Thinking this, the cursed boy smiled.

"Hey, Allen. You're smilin' kinda weird," said Natsu, and Allen laughed as he watched Lucy whacking the fire mage with her notebook; it totally reminded him of Lenalee whacking Kanda with the clipboard.

* * *

"WE'RE HEEEEEEEEEREEEEEEEE!" Natsu and Gray bellowed in unison, when they had finally arrived at the hot beach and everyone else besides the two exorcists had changed into their swimsuits.

"Th-This is the beach?" Allen was already starting to sweat by the heat. He felt weird walking around in the sand with his boots.

"It's totally full of babes," Lavi said in a undertone, watching the many girls in bikinis; Allen resisted the urge to hit him in the head.

"You two didn't bring any beach wear?" Erza suddenly appeared, and both exorcists' jaw's dropped as they saw her wearing a very revealing black bikini. Her scarlet hair was tied up and it occurred to them just how _sexy_ she looked. "Why don't you take off your coats and boots? It's boiling."

"Dude, I think I'm about to have a nosebleed," Lavi whispered urgently to Allen, as Erza went around fetching everyone else.

Allen scoffed.

"You're no better, Allen. I saw you blush," Lavi said teasingly, and the white-haired boy let out a sputter.

"I don't scoop that low, Lavi," he said hotly as Lavi grinned.

When everyone else was dressed and gathered, Erza as usual, gave the instructions.

"We'll take it easy today," she suddenly said.

Everyone just gaped.

"You heard me. We're taking it easy today."

"ALL RIGHHHHHT!" Natsu and Gray bellowed again, and the two of them shot off towards the water, where they began swimming like it was the Olympics.

Wendy was having trouble tying up her hair.

"Oh no," she said sadly, when the ribbon kept unknotting itself.

"Here, Wendy." Lucy beckoned her forward and tied up her hair, humming as she did so.

"You seem really excited, Lucy-san." Wendy giggled as Lucy sighed dreamily.

"Of course! I've been waiting all week for this! I even took a long time deciding what bikini to wear!"

"Really?"

"Really! As girls, we've got to look our best! Here — all done!"

"Thank you, Lucy-san!" Wendy said gratefully, feeling her hair.

"Aw, Wendy, you look so cute!" Lucy gave her a wink. "Don't you think so?" she said unexpectedly to Lavi and Allen, who were sitting lazily on the beach chairs.

Wendy watched nervously as the two boys looked at her.

"You look amazingly cute, Wendy-san," Allen said sweetly, smiling as Wendy blushed. She and Lucy headed off towards the water.

"Allen." The cursed boy turned his head to see Lavi looking shocked.

"What?"

"I didn't know you were manly enough to compliment a girl," Lavi said jokingly, and once again Allen let out a noise of exasperation.

"Can I _please_ hit you just once?!"

Lavi grinned as both Natsu and Gray, both in their trunks and wet from the water, advanced towards them.

"How come you're not swimmin'?" Natsu demanded, looking at Allen fully clothed with his white dress shirt, tie and trousers. "You too, Gravy," he added.

"Well, I'm allergic to saltwater," Lavi suddenly said, "but Allen isn't."

"_What?!" _Allen cried out as Natsu and Gray looked at each other and gave a nod. Natsu suddenly took Allen's left arm and Gray took the right.

"W-Wait, what are you doing— H-HEY!" Allen screeched as the fire mage and the ice mage tried to haul him towards the water.

Lavi chuckled mischievously to himself as he heard Allen being splashed into the water. The air was suddenly full of Allen's screams. "Oh, I am good..."

* * *

Allen was now completely drenched in water. Half coughing and half cursing Lavi, he laid on the moist sand near the shorewaves, with Natsu and Gray looking down at him apologetically.

"Er— I think we went overboard," Gray said nervously, absentmindedly scratching the back of his head.

"S'okay. It was Lavi's idea, anyway," Allen said glumly. He looked up to see them worried. "I'm really all right. You guys go on and have fun, I'll be fine."

"You sure?" said Natsu, and Allen nodded.

_That's right... I think this was the first time I ever went to the beach..._ Allen sat up a little straighter and surveyed the scene. He could see Natsu and Gray back in the water, splashing around furiously, Happy, Carla, Wendy, and Lucy floating on beach tubes nearby, and Erza was on the beach with Levy, relaxing on a beach chair.

Allen's attention turned to the many people on the beach. His left eye didn't activate, and yet it was hard to believe that none of those people were akumas...

_Are we in a different dimension? Or are we in a place that Innocence created?_

Allen caught himself thinking about this on and off. He stared at Natsu and everyone, who were happily playing around, their mind undisturbed...

The thought of Natsu and everyone being something created by Innocence...

But wait — Innocence can't create humans... but yet this magic...

Allen absentmindedly stuck his toes in the water, thinking hard.

_Innocence cannot create a city... but it can create unnatural phenomenons. "Magic" is probably one of them. That explains why people here can use what they think is "magic"... On the other hand, Happy-san and Carla-san are obviously mysterious creatures... If there's an Innocence that's causing people to have magic, then there must be another Innocence that causes people to either turn into flying cats..._

Allen shivered at the thought of Happy actually being human.

_In other words... there's a possibility that there's two Innocence here thats creating these phenomenons..._

"Damn you Gray, take thisssss!"

_But..._

"You hit like a girl!" Allen could hear Gray's voice.

_What I don't get is why there aren't any akumas around... If there really is two Innocences, why isn't the Earl stopping us?..._

"TAAAAAAKE THISSSSS!"

Allen let out a bloodcurdling shriek; his legs were half on fire, half on ice.

"Oh crap, sorry Allen!" Gray and Natsu cried in unison.

The next thing Allen knew, he passed out.

* * *

"... could've died, you _morons_." Erza's stern voice suddenly made its way into the white-haired exorcist's head and he was able to gain consciousness.

"Now, now..." He heard Lavi's nervous voice, "He's stirring."

He opened his eyes wearily and saw that he was under a huge umbrella beach chair. His clothes were oddly dry now.

"Are you okay, Allen-san?" He saw Wendy looking worriedly back at him. Lucy was peering over her shoulder, anxious.

"Geez, you two!" Lucy snapped to two people behind her, and Allen saw Gray and Natsu cowering in fear, "because of your stupid fight, he got hurt!"

"Hurt?" Allen said blankly.

"Uh yeah... about your legs..." Lavi trailed off.

Allen sat up to everyone's astonishment, and immediately checked his leg.

He nearly fainted. Half of his legs were sorely burned, the other dry and flaky.

"I'm really sorry, but I couldn't do anything," Wendy muttered timidly to the cursed boy, bowing her head slightly.

"Um... What happened?" Allen asked, feeling rather weak.

"You were badly burned and badly frozen," Erza said simply, glaring at the two people responsible for this.

"S-Sorry Allen," Natsu said nervously. He looked guilty. "I was the one that accidentally burned ya."

"And I was the one that froze you," Gray muttered, holding up a hand to indicate himself.

Allen stared at them in bewilderment. "Wh-What? How? Using lighters and ice cubes?"

Everyone looked surprised.

"Nah, with my hand!" Natsu grinned toothily. He held up his hand and the next second there were little flames dancing on it.

Allen's mouth dropped open. "H-How did you do that?"

Natsu frowned. "Whaddya mean, "how?" I just can. I'm a mage after all."

_Don't tell me... _Allen gaped at Natsu, then he looked at Gray. "Are you a mage too?"

Gray looked surprised. "Yeah. Well, we all are, actually."

"_All of you?"_ Allen looked flabbergasted while Lavi looked politely puzzled, "even _Wendy_?"

Now, Fairy Tail's members looked alarmed.

"Sit down," Erza suddenly ordered everyone. She fetched a bottle of sunscreen and a bottle of lotion from one of her luggages and threw it to Allen. "Put those on your legs."

The two exorcists listened as mainly Erza, Natsu, Lucy and Gray told them _everything :_ that they were mages that could use magic (they even demonstrated, much to Lavi's and Allen's fascination), they explained what Magic was and how it was used politically (such as the Magic Council) and in every day life, and that the reason they were going to the beach for their training was to get ready to participate in the Grand Magic Games, a tournament that would determine the best guild.

"And that's about it," said Erza, after Gray finished explaining.

Allen was too shocked to say anything. He felt as if he processed way too much information. Lavi was quiet, but he was still slightly frowning.

"By the way, Allen," Erza suddenly chipped in, "why aren't you putting those on?" She pointed to the bottles of lotion and sunscreen she had given him. "Your legs are going to get worse."

The white-haired boy gulped. The reason he didn't put the sunscreen and lotion on was because of the fact that he was wearing gloves, and if he took his gloves off, everyone would've seen his shrivelled hand.

Lavi, noticing this, came to his rescue. He picked up both of the bottles, skimmed through the ingredients label and said, "No good. Allen's allergic to zinc."

Erza looked surprised. "Really?" she glanced at Allen. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Sorry," Allen apologized, telepathically sending Lavi a private thank-you.

"Oh yeah, Allen," Natsu suddenly perked up. He looked curiously at Allen's hands. "Why do you wear gloves?"

Caught!

"Well, uh —" The cursed boy started panicking when he couldn't think of a story.

"Allen's sensitive to heat," Lavi said once again, and Allen had to thank him for his quick thinking wits.

"Oh yeah, your legs..." Natsu looked guilty again.

"Don't worry about it," Allen gave the fire mage a smile.

Gray, who had been observing the cursed boy for awhile, spoke up. "What happened to your eye?" he said curiously.

"Oh. That's... kinda personal," Allen said lamely, and Gray, although surprised, nodded respectfully.

"So what should we do about your legs?" Erza said briskly, standing up and observing Allen much to his embarrassment. "Wendy can't heal them."

"Heal?" Allen's head snapped towards the little Dragon Slayer, who looked timid. "You can heal? Like, with magic?"

"Oh yes," Wendy said breathlessly to the two exorcists, "It's because I'm a Dragon Slayer."

"Dragon what?" said Lavi, sure he had misheard her.

"Dragon Slayer. Natsu-san is one too."

Allen and Lavi whipped around to see Natsu grinning proudly. He shook his scarf. "Igneel gave me this scarf!"

"Igneel?"

"My dad. He's a dragon."

"Your dad's a _dragon?!_" both Allen and Lavi cried in disbelief.

"Yup! Wendy, too!"

"_Wendy, too?!_" The two exorcists turned back to face Wendy, who was slightly swelling with pride.

"B-But what's a Dragon Slayer?" Allen said to the group in confusion.

"Dragon Slayers are people who use Dragon Slayer Magic, a form of Lost Magic," Lucy explained, "Wendy and Natsu were taught by dragons."

"Dragon Slayer Magic? Lost Magic?" Allen just looked so lost.

Gray looked surprised. "You guys really don't know anything..."

"Like I said, we're just travellers," Lavi replied, looking slightly lost but none as much as Allen.

Just then, there was a huge puff of smoke and everyone glanced around frantically to see Lucy's celestial spirit, Virgo, bowing to them all.

"Virgo!" Lucy cried, rushing towards her.

"Princess, there is an emergency," Virgo suddenly said. "The Celestial Spirit World is on the verge of being vanished."

There was a stunned silence. Everyone gasped and looked worried while Allen and Lavi just looked entirely lost.

"W-What should we doooo!?" Lucy cried quite hysterically. Virgo took her hands and cupped them.

"Princess, please help us. The Spirit King has asked me to collect you and bring you there."

"Wh-What?" Lucy stared. "Y-You mean, we need to go over _there?_"

"It is most urgent," Virgo said more determinedly.

Lucy looked around at Erza and everyone. "Everyone..."

"We'll go with you, Lucy!" Natsu suddenly chipped in, and everyone agreed.

"I don't want Loki and your spirits to disappear," Gray said seriously.

"I think that's well said." Erza smiled.

Lucy turned back to Virgo. "All right! Oh, wait —" she and everyone turned back to look at Allen and Lavi, who were still sitting on the sand. "You guys come too!"

"Us...?" Allen said uncertainly.

"We're not gonna leave you here." Gray smirked. "We'll be bad hosts."

"Gotta treat our guests with some hospitality," Natsu said, reaching out a hand to Lavi. "C'mon, Gravy!"

"Everyone, please stand tightly," Virgo announced, once everyone was in place. Allen let out a yelp as he was suddenly plunged into the darkness.

* * *

"Allen. Hey, open your eyes."

The cursed boy opened his eyes to find Lavi wearing a strange red-like outfit. He looked like a prince.

"L-Lavi, what's up with that outfit? And where are we?"

"In the Celestial Spirit World," Virgo answered, suddenly at their side. "I have given you Celestial Spirit clothes in order to increase the time spent in the Spirit World."

"Eh?" Allen glanced down; he was wearing a blue and white clown-like coat, complete with trousers, shoes, and even an undershirt. Wondering how the heck they had managed to change their clothes in three seconds, he was relieved to find that he was still wearing his gloves.

"So this is the Spirit World..." Gray let out a low whistle, staring at the colourful orbs and galaxy like atmosphere. "Pretty impressive."

"It's different from my imagination..." Lucy said. "So what's the problem, Virgo?" she asked the spirit maid, who suddenly chuckled.

"Why are you —" Lucy was cut off as there was a loud BANG and suddenly floating stars, fireworks, and confetti floated down on their heads and erupted in the galaxy-like sky.

"WELCOME BACKKKK!" All of Lucy's celestial spirits suddenly came out of nowhere and cheered, with the Spirit King himself chuckling and making an appearance.

"Wh-What is this?!" Lucy cried.

"It's a party!" Virgo explained. Lucy looked astonished.

"But you said the Spirit World was about to vanish!"

Virgo chuckled. "Oh, Princess..."

"It's a welcome back party, Lucy," Loki said, coming up to her and smiling. He noticed Gray and the two of them fist bumped.

"How are you, Gray?"

"Not bad." Gray grinned as Loki noticed the two exorcists.

"New guild members?" Loki pushed up his glasses further and smiled.

"Mustache geezer!" Lucy suddenly yelled at the King, who laughed heartily.

"Don't worry! My friends, this party is for you! Eat all you want and do all you want! Welcome back!" All the spirits cheered as Lucy sighed.

_"Honestly,"_ she said, a huge smile on her face.

Allen did not know how he and Lavi had ended up being at the buffet table. Everyone laughed as the two exorcists stuffed themselves silly, finally having food to eat. The atmosphere was cheery, bright and full of laughter. Loki and Gray were persuading Allen to eat sour plums (and he nearly died — which a sympathetic Wendy could relate to), Natsu was singing with Sagittarius and Taurus, Lavi and Levy had hit the bookshelf, where the old celestial spirit Crux was suggesting books, Erza was trying to do a dance with Virgo, and Carla and Happy were ambushed by a hundred Plues.

Lucy looked around happily as Lyra suddenly launched into a sweet song. When the song ended, everyone cheered and Lucy had tears in her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

She glanced up to see Allen smiling at her and she nodded.

"I'm really thankful..." she sniffed, looking at her spirits. "I love you guys."

"We'll always be here for you, Lucy," Loki said, as many of the spirits behind him nodded.

"Lucy," the King boomed, his kind smile showing through his bushy mustache, "You are a great owner."

"Take care, Lucy. You too, Gray, Allen." Loki all gave them a fist bump.

"We hope you enjoyed the food!" Aries and Cancer exclaimed.

"By the way, Princess," Virgo told Lucy as they were preparing to take their leave.

"What is it, Virgo?"

Virgo's voice echoed in everyone's head as they returned back to the beach.

_"I forgot to mention — a day in the Spirit World equals three months in the human world."_

There was a stunned silence.

Natsu and Erza was the first to break it. "Th-Three months..." They suddenly collapsed onto the sand.

"MUSTACHE BASTARDDDDDDDD! GIVE US BACK OUR TIMEEEEEE!" Lucy screeched.

Wendy started wailing.

"Hey — everyone! Where were you?!" Jet and Droy suddenly ran towards them, "The Games are gonna start in 5 days! Did you guys train hard?"

Everyone just lost it.

"Wh-What's wrong with them?" Jet said in alarm, watching Natsu and everyone go crazy. "Huh?" Jet glanced around. "Wasn't Lavi and Allen hanging around?"

Droy turned his chubby neck to search the beach. "They're not here..."

* * *

"Huh... where am I?" Allen looked around bewilderingly. He was somehow at the edge of the beach, where the forest was. Natsu and everyone else was nowhere in sight.

Allen frowned. He had just been in the Spirit World just a few moments ago... where was everyone else? Speaking of the Spirit World...

_Did Innocence create that too? Or was it always there all along?_

Allen stood up. His spirit clothes were gone, and he was back to wearing his torn coat and exorcist boots.

Where was Lavi? _I better go find him..._

However, the cursed boy barely took three steps when someone yanked him from behind, making him yelp.

"_Where do you think you're going?_" the voice hissed, and Allen's heart nearly stopped.

That voice...

Allen turned his head and his worst fear was confirmed.

"K...Kanda?!" he gasped, and Kanda scowled.

Kanda looked oddly different. His hair was loose, he looked like he gained a few more inches, and was wearing a cloak over his coat that could've suggested he went travelling for a few days.

"W-What are you doing here?" Allen squealed, as Kanda let go of the shorter boy.

He made a 'tch' sound. "What else? Looking for you and the damn rabbit."

There was a sudden rustling noise and Lavi came bouncing out of nowhere. His eye widen at the sight of Kanda.

"Y-Yuu!" he cried, throwing himself at Kanda, who dodged out of the way and the red-haired boy nearly went smashing into a tree.

"W-What are you doing here, Yuu? Oh, did you get taller?" said Lavi, balancing himself as Kanda scowled yet again.

"Where the hell were you two?" Kanda growled.

"Us? Just around here," Lavi replied, blinking. "Wait— what happened at the Order?" he asked urgently.

Kanda sighed. "There was an attack," he said gruffly, and both Lavi and Allen gasped.

"No way..." Allen said disbelievingly. "Is everyone all right?!" he asked Kanda, who shrugged.

"More or less," he said nonchalantly. "But the problem is why you two haven't returned in three months."

There was a shocked silence.

"What?" Allen said.

Kanda looked impatient. He hated repeating himself. "_I said_ — where the hell were you for three months!"

"Th-Three months?!" Lavi cried, "What are you talking about?! We've only been gone for at least 3 days!"

"_Don't mess with me!_" Kanda was so pissed, he actually unsheathed Mugen. "You two have been gone for three months!"

Lavi and Allen looked at each other in alarm.

"Kanda, you've got it all wrong, we've only been gone for three days." Allen tried saying sensibly.

The samurai exorcist glared at them. He made a 'tch' sound and suddenly grabbed both exorcists by the back of their coats, dragging them along with him.

"Ouch— Yuu— you're hurting us— ouch!" Lavi kept getting hit by sharp branches and objects that were on the ground.

"Kanda!" Allen whined, some twigs poking into his hair as Kanda dragged them along the woods, out of sight of the beach.

"_Shut up, damn moyashi!"_

A black golem suddenly flew out of Kanda's coat and ascended into the air. There was a funny static sound, and Komui's voice came on.

"_Kanda-kun?"_

"Yeah," Kanda replied gruffly, and both Lavi and Allen froze at the sound of their Chief's voice.

"Komui-san?!" Allen cried disbelievingly.

Komui, on the other side of the golem, let out an exclaim.

"_Allen-kun?! Don't tell me—?! Kanda, you—?"_

"Yeah," Kanda said again gruffly, and they could hear what sounded like Komui dabbing his eyes with his sleeve.

"_Thank God. Allen-kun, Lavi, can you hear me?"_

"Yes," the two boys said in unison.

"Komui-san, what happened at the Order?!" Allen asked the golem urgently.

"_I'll tell you everything when you get back. Please stay safe." _There was a static crackle and Komui's line went off. Kanda's golem returned to his pocket.

The samurai boy suddenly released Allen and Lavi roughly.

"Summon the Gate," he said impatiently to Allen, now that they were out of sight of the beach and the area was deserted.

"You know, a "please" would suffice," Allen said sardonically, as he stood up. He suddenly yelped when Mugen was inches from his face.

"Listen good, moyashi," Kanda hissed, "I worked my ass off to search for you and the damn rabbit for three freakin' months. So at least fricken' thank me before acting like a smartass."

"Cut it off," Lavi said wearily, as Allen opened his mouth angrily to argue back. "Let's just go home."

An irritated Allen summoned the Gate, which was mercifully opened, and the three exorcists stepped in, heading back.

* * *

The Order didn't look any different. The people however, let out cheers of joy as they saw Lavi and Allen, most of them sobbing.

"Were we really gone for three months?" Allen said quietly, walking down the hallway to Komui's study. He had just seen Jerry, the chef, mopping his eyes out at the sight of Allen.

_Three months... it couldn't have been the Spirit World that did this, did it?_

Allen grimaced. If they really were gone for three months...

Kanda silently lead them to Komui's office. He wrenched opened the door and —

"_Allen-kun! Lavi!"_

Both exorcists were nearly thrown off their feet as Lenalee suddenly wrapped herself around them into a fierce hug.

"I was _so _worried..." she said, releasing them and smiling tearfully.

Allen thought she looked horrible; there were huge shadows under her eyes and she looked exhausted. He noticed that she looked a bit different too; her hair now reached her shoulders and she was almost his height. A really big difference was her uniform; instead of black and white, it was now red and black with some new design features.

"We're fine, Lenalee," Lavi assured her, as tears kept spilling out of Lenalee's eyes.

Komui was standing behind her, smiling widely.

"Lavi. Allen, thank goodness you're both all right," the Supervisor said in a choked voice. He cleared his throat. "Kanda, good work," he said to a half-hidden Kanda, who was standing in the corner. The samurai exorcist merely scowled.

" Kanda-kun, Lenalee, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Komui said kindly to his sister and Kanda, "I need to discuss some matters with Allen-kun and Lavi."

Lenalee and Kanda obeyed, the Chinese girl giving both Allen and Lavi another hug before leaving.

"Well then," Komui said brightly, once they left, "let's get down to business." He sat down at his desk.

"We're not in trouble, are we?" Lavi asked worriedly.

"Of course not." Komui waved an airy hand, "I just want you two to fill me in on what happened. But before that, I should tell you guys..."

The Chief told the two boys what had happened.

"_What?!"_ Lavi cried.

"Lulubell attacked the Order?" Allen gasped.

Komui pushed his glasses up further. "Yes," he said seriously. "She entered the building, transformed as a cat, and used poor Johnny to disguise herself."

"I don't understand," Lavi said in confusion. "Why did she attack the Order? What was her reason?"

Komui suddenly avoided Allen's eyes.

"We're not sure," he replied hesitantly. "However, even with Miranda's help, the Order suffered a lot of massive damage."

"No one died, did they?" Allen couldn't bear to think the alternative.

Komui looked at him sadly. "I'm unfortunate to say we lost quite a few finders. On the other hand, no exorcist died, although many of them were fatally injured."

Allen was silent. Once again, lives were lost...

Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside the door. It sounded like someone was thundering through the hallways. Komui's door was suddenly wrenched open and standing there in the doorway, looking flustered and anxious was —

"_Walkerrrrrr!"_ Bak gave Allen a bear-crushing hug.

"B-Bak-san?!" Allen cried in utter disbelief, as the Head of the Asian Branch cried quite hysterically, rocking Allen up and down.

Komui let out a hearty laugh. "Bak and his Branch were also part of the search party that volunteered to help search for you two," he explained.

"Thank God you and Lavi are alive, Walker." Bak beamed at the two exorcists.

"So, Allen, Lavi, I think it's time for you to tell us your story," Komui said importantly, as he beckoned Allen and Lavi to sit down on the couch in front of the desk. Bak joined them, sitting on an armchair.

The two exorcists began to launch into their story, the two Heads listening intently. When they finished, Komui was frowning and Bak was just looking confused.

"Walker, you said that people there could use _magic_?" Bak asked the cursed boy, who nodded.

"Komui? What do you think about this?" Bak asked the European Head.

"It's most likely Innocence's doing," Komui said, thinking hard.

"That's what we thought at first," Lavi chipped in, "that it must be Innocence, giving the people all these weird powers."

"Like I said, very likely," said Komui.

"But Komui-san," Allen began, unable to contain himself, "I met a lot of people there who acted as if they've always had magic. They didn't looked confused or shocked to see themselves possessing those powers."

Komui and Bak looked at each other as Lavi spoke again.

"Innocence can affect the people living in it, so there's a good chance that everyone there could've had weird memories implanted in their heads, thinking that they were mages, right?"

"I can't say..." Komui said thoughtfully, as Allen opened his mouth.

"But Lavi, how do you explain the Magic Council? The Spirit World? The Grand Magic Games? Furthermore, creatures like Happy-san?"

"Magic Council? Spirit World? Grand Magic Games?" Bak and Komui repeated, looking lost, as Lavi snapped back at Allen.

"Like I said, Innocence could've messed up their heads—"

"—yeah, but the way I see it—"

"Allen, Lavi," Komui said wearily, as the two bickered.

"—you just don't like to admit you're wrong, Lavi—"

"—I'm just saying, Allen, how can you explain—"

"You guys!"

"I don't believe Natsu-san and everyone else is affected by Innocence, they seem too genuine—"

"Walker! Lavi!" Bak tried to cut off the bickering but the two exorcists ignored him.

"—you've always been like this from the start, thinking that everything is Innocence, Lavi—"

"_Allen! Lavi!"_ Komui said in a loud stern voice. The two immediately ceased their argument, both of them looking irritated.

Komui cleared his throat as Bak sighed.

"You are both wrong. Innocence can create anything," Komui said, looking tired.

Lavi looked relieved, while Allen just looked flabbergasted.

"But Komui-san—" he was cut off when the Chief interrupted him.

"Allen-kun, Innocence can create anything," Komui said kindly. "It can give life to a doll, it can make someone immortal, it can change the time and weather, you even have Innocence embedded in your arm."

Komui looked at Allen. "Innocence can do the impossible. That is why, we" — he nodded at Bak — "are so determined to collect all the shards in the world. Innocence is our only hope to defeat the Millennium Earl."

"So Innocence can create a parallel dimension? It can turn humans into flying cats?" Allen said incredulously.

Komui looked confused, but nevertheless answered, "It is unheard of, but not impossible either. There are so many mysteries about Innocence that us scientists have yet to discover."

Komui turned to Lavi. "However, Lavi, you are also wrong on one prospect. Innocence does not always necessarily _have_ to affect the people around it. It can give people weird powers, yes, but affecting people's memories... Our memories are a part of our brain, and Innocence does not have that much power to manipulate it, or else we wouldn't have the ability to control or synchronize with our Innocence," Komui said to him.

"Right," Lavi said slowly, thinking how he was able to synchronize with his Innocence. "So you're saying... the peoples' memories were never affected by Innocence?"

"It might be strange, but yes, they were probably never affected," Komui replied. "Anyway," he suddenly said, "I think it's time for you two to rest up." He noticed how tired-looking the two exorcists were.

"Right." Allen and Lavi got up, about to exit when Allen suddenly remembered something.

"Komui-san, about the antidote..."

_Crap!_ Lavi cried nervously in his head as Komui scratched his chin.

"Oh, the antidote... you can just forget about that. The science department was never sick, after all," said Komui.

"Oh." Allen looked like he was about to say more, but Lavi cut in.

"S'okay, I'll just dump it if we don't need it," the red-haired boy told him, and Allen nodded, leaving the room with Bak after saying a goodbye to Komui.

"What's up, Lavi?" Komui said sharply, seeing the red-haired boy still in the room.

"Komui, about the antidote..." Lavi told the Chief what happened, how the antidote affected Allen.

"_Allen-kun was almost turned into a Noah?_" Komui said in alarm, as Lavi finished explaining.

"Yeah. It was pretty bad for a second. Why did you tell us to pick up that antidote?" Lavi demanded, as Komui took off his hat and fiddled with it in shock.

"The antidote was from Buzz. He had it specifically made to cure the illness for the science team, but of course they were never sick..."

"W-Wait." Lavi was trying to backtrack. "_Buzz?_ Who's that?"

Wondering if Lavi was trying to be funny with him, Komui replied, "My friend. The one that made the antidote. You visited him, haven't you?"

Lavi's mouth dropped open.

"What? No!" he said weakly, "I thought your friend was Yajima! That's who I got the antidote from!"

"Who the heck is Yajima?!" Komui cried, staring at Lavi, afraid that Bookman's student lost his sanity.

Calmy, Lavi told him _exactly_ how he received the antidote.

"... so the old man said it was from Yajima, and I read the letter, it had your name written in it, so I thought it was your friend that made the antidote," Lavi finished.

Komui looked seriously alarmed. "Lavi, I would never sent you off somewhere to fetch an antidote that would harm you or Allen."

"I know you wouldn't."

"This Yajima guy... I've never heard of him, but he sent you an antidote that was full of dark matter. That's not ordinary," Komui said worriedly.

"So, you think this Yajima is working with the Noahs?"

"It's likely. Lavi" — Komui placed an arm on the red-haired exorcist's shoulder — "please keep an eye out for Allen."

"Yeah... yeah, definitely," Lavi said, and he exited the room.

_There's no doubt about it_, Lavi thought to himself, replaying everything in his head, _The Spirit World caused us to fast-forward to three months..._

"You're back," a voice spoke, once the door to Komui's study closed, and Lavi was shaken out of his thoughts.

Lavi stared around at the speaker.

"G-Gramps..."

Bookman was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. He looked at his student.

"I have a lot of work for you to do."

Lavi scowled.

_This is what I get? I've returned three months later, and he's giving me work? Didn't he even miss me?_

Bookman's next few words, however, took the scowl off Lavi's face.

"Welcome back, Lavi."

* * *

"All right, Walker?" Bak was saying anxiously to the cursed boy. Allen was strongly reminded of the time he lost his Innocence and had to stay at the Asian Branch to renew it; Bak had looked just as anxious as he did now.

"I'm fine," Allen assured him. He was just having trouble trying to process everything. "Bak-san...?"

"What is it?" Bak said hastily.

"Were we really gone for three months?"

"You really were."

Allen sighed as Bak looked anxiously again at him.

They stopped in front of Allen's room.

"If you need anything, just let me know," Bak said hurriedly. "Are you hungry, Walker?"

"Huh? Oh, no..."

"All right. If you do, Jerry will be in the caf. In the meantime, rest up, Walker."

Allen thanked him and the Head of the Asian Branch scooted off.

He entered his room, which didn't look any different, and immediately flopped onto his bed.

The next second, however, Allen let out a cry. His left eye suddenly activated, and it was blood-red, rolling frantically, up and down, detecting akumas far out of Allen's reach, causing the cursed boy to cry in agony.

"Cut—it—out—!" Allen gritted his teeth, as his cursed eye obeyed and everything returned to normal.

_What's happening to me? _The last time this happened was when he lost his Innocence. Why was it happening again?

_Because you haven't killed any akumas yet,_ a voice suddenly spoke into his head, causing him to yelp in shock.

"You!" Allen said loudly, as the voice chuckled yet again.

_You gotta stop yelling every time you hear me_, the voice said.

Now that Allen thought about it, he hadn't heard from the voice in quite awhile.

_Long time no speak, Allen,_ the voice said cheerfully.

_That reminds me, you've never told me your name,_ Allen said to the voice.

He could hear the voice hesitating.

_Well..._

_I just can't keep on calling you "You" forever._

_Fair point,_ the voice said, chuckling.

_So?_

Allen heard a bit of pride in the voice as it answered his question.

_Nice to meet you, Allen. My name is Nea._


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer :** I don't own FT or DGM, yeah?

**A/N **: Just want to say thanks for reading! It's because of you guys I have the motivation to write!

* * *

Chapter Seven

* * *

_Three months earlier_

* * *

"You're back, Tyki. How did the mission go~?" A grey-looking man dressed in a large coat and a top hat sat on a rocking chair, knitting a pink scarf.

Tyki wondered just how the evillest man on Earth can sit there knitting like your grandma. Seriously. Just replace the image of your grandma with a scary looking man and _bam! — _you've got the Earl.

Nevertheless, he nervously scratched the back of his head and answered as nonchalantly as possible without upsetting his boss.

"Well_—_ you see, it didn't really go as planned..."

"I can see that," the Earl said cooly, an enormous grin plastered on his face, "since Allen Walker is not with you."

"Yeah, about that..." Tyki began, but he was interrupted.

"Why are you back when you have not finished your mission? Did you perhaps fail, Tyki?" the Earl knitted away cheerfully, but there was a hint of dissatisfaction in his carefree voice.

"Hey, hey, I haven't failed yet," Tyki said hastily, aware of the position he was in, "I just came back to give you some interesting news."

The Earl was silent, still clicking away on his scarf.

"Hey, are you listening?"

"I am. Continue."

"Have you ever heard of this Grand Magic Games?"

"Games? How old are you, Tyki?"

"No, you're getting the wrong idea," Tyki said quickly. He sighed. It was always hard talking to the Earl.

"According to my research, the Grand Magic Games is a tournament established to determine the strongest guild in Fiore. There will be many mages participating."

"What does this have to do with Allen Walker?"

_I swear, you're more obsessed with the poker boy than Road is,_ Tyki thought bitterly.

"Don't you agree that the exorcists will think it's strange that there are mages participating in a _magic_ tournament?" he said, emphasizing the key word.

The Earl seem to have caught on.

"I see... I think I know where you're going with this," he said, stroking his large chin.

"Have you really? I haven't said anything." Tyki looked slightly exasperated, wondering whether the Earl was taking him seriously or not.

"Of course~ it's quite obvious." The Earl chortled. "Have you told the others about this yet?"

"When it's dinner."

The Earl peered at his tiny wristwatch. "Which is about now. I'll meet you in the dining room, Tyki. You can tell everyone all the juicy details there."

"Right. See you, Grandma."

* * *

_Three months later_

* * *

In his mind, Allen pictured Nea to be some hardcore level one sadist, waiting to kill him. How? He had no idea, he just didn't expect the voice to get so friendly with him, not since he had an inkling that Nea might be the Fourteenth.

Speaking of Nea...

Allen could've sworn he heard the name from somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place a finger on it.

Nea chuckled, his voice echoing in Allen's head. The white-haired boy pictured a faceless sadist laughing for a second. Then he told himself he was being stupid and paranoid.

_What's so funny?_

_Nothing_, Nea replied, a hint of a mischievous smile in his gentle voice.

_So? Do you know why my eye is hurting again?_

_That happens when your eye feels an uncontrollable desire to kill akumas, _Nea answered.

Allen cringed. _Please don't say "kill", I prefer the term "free"._

_You want to free akumas? _Nea sounded surprised.

_Akumas are comprised of human souls. I am merely freeing them._

Nea released what sounded like a low whistle of admiration. It sounded weird in Allen's head. _You must be a pacifist. How do you even fight on the battlefield?_

_Please don't underestimate me. I'll fight if I have to. I want to save both akumas and humans._

The voice laughed again.

Allen scowled at himself. What was he doing, conversing with this suspicious person? He cut to the chase.

_Are you the Fourteenth?_

The first time Allen asked this question, the replier was silent. This time, however —

_Hey, I realized you kinda sound like a girl._

Allen's eye twitched.

* * *

Lavi was strolling down the corridor, lost in his thoughts.

_It doesn't add up, _he thought to himself, sounding frustrated.

If Innocence didn't affect the people's memories, how the hell can they act so natural about possessing magic? Weren't they suppose to be shocked? Scared? Heck, even the children were having a blast shooting mega fire beams and pretty little flashy rainbows with their hands or some other type of magic item.

And the Grand Magic Games. What Lavi could not understand that there were mages all over Fiore participating in the tournament. That would mean that Magnolia Town was not the only place affected by Innocence; the rest of Fiore could be too. But how do you explain the other possibly ten thousand mages all over Fiore? Was there a possibility that there were more than one Innocence?

Lavi could feel a huge headache forming. Trying to relax, he kept walking down the corridor towards Allen's room. He was about to knock when he heard Allen's voice.

"_— I do not sound like a girl!_" he heard Allen's irritated loud voice.

Lavi raised an eyebrow. Who was Allen talking to?

He knocked on the door and went in.

"'Don't sound like a girl?' Are you sure about that, Allen-chan?" he grinned as Allen chucked his pillow at him.

"You heard me?" Allen asked, a slight pink hue on his cheeks out of embarrassment.

"I think everyone else ten doors away heard you." Lavi joked as he did a quick search of the room. There was no one else but him and Allen. "Who were you talking to?"

"Eh? Oh, I was just sleeping, you know, and Master's voice spoke to me in my dream. I must've yelled out loud," said Allen, chortling nervously.

"So General Cross told you that you sound like a girl? Good likeness." Lavi grinned as another pillow went flying and chucked him on the head again.

"By the way, why are you here, Lavi?" Allen just realized.

"Oh, Komui wants to see us," Lavi replied, picking up the pillow and throwing it back to its owner.

"Right now?"

"Yeah. There's a sudden change of plans."

Allen looked surprised. "Plans? What do you mean?"

"I don't know, yeah? Let's just go." Lavi waited until Allen hopped off the bed and both of them went on their way to the Chief's study.

"By the way, we have to go to the science department afterwards; they made us a new uniform." Lavi informed the shorter boy as they passed the cafeteria.

"Oh yeah, we have new uniforms," Allen said thoughtfully, "I kinda preferred the old one."

"The new one is better, trust me. You're only saying you like the old one better because it's white."

"The same goes for you, Lavi. You only like the new one because it's red."

"Exactly." Lavi laughed as Allen rolled his eyes.

Unnoticed by the talking boy, Lavi stared suspiciously at him. He didn't buy that dream story one bit.

_Allen was talking to someone... who was it?_

* * *

"Oh, boys, you're here! Sorry to be interrupting you; there was an urgent change of plans." Komui beamed at them when they came in.

"What is it, Komui-san?" Allen asked. He glanced around and was surprised to see Lenalee and Kanda present.

"Are you okay, Allen-kun?" Lenalee immediately rushed towards him, her face anxious.

Allen smiled uncomfortably. Why was everyone making such a fuss over him? "I'm okay," he replied, aware of the fact that he was still wearing his torn and dirty exorcist coat and boots.

Kanda made an impatient noise. He too, was wearing the new uniform.

"Hm... it looks like we're missing one more person," said Komui.

"One more person?" Allen asked, confused. Just what was Komui planning?

"Actually, now that I've remembered, he already left ahead of us." Komui didn't even question the confused look on Allen's face.

"I have called all of you here for an urgent request."

The four exorcists waited.

Komui cleared his throat. "As you all know, I have my suspicions about this Grand Magic Games. You three"_—_he smiled at Allen, Lavi and Kanda_—"_have gathered enough research to deduce that Innocence must be the source of all this magic power happening in Fiore.

"So, I want you four (five, including the other person) to participate in the Games and collect the Innocence."

"No," Allen flat-out refused, much to everyone's surprise.

"Allen-kun?" Lenalee gaped at him incredulously, as Komui looked shocked at his refusal. Lavi didn't say anything and Kanda just looked indifferent.

"I don't want to go up against Natsu-san and his guild," Allen said quietly. "I don't want to interfere. This tournament has nothing to do with us." He already felt insanely guilty for ditching Natsu and the group.

"Allen-kun, I'm not asking you to win the tournament," said Komui, trying to persuade the cursed boy, "I believe that the Innocence is currently located in the town of Crocus. We can simply use this privilege to our advantage."

"Crocus?" Lavi asked. "Isn't that where the Games are held?"

"Yes. Crocus is the capital of the Kingdom of Fiore. As I've said, it's a very good guess that Innocence is located there."

"So we have to enter ourselves as participants?" Lenalee asked her brother, who nodded.

"Why can't we just be in the audience?" Lavi asked the Chief.

"I don't want you to sit watching all day," Komui told them, "it's best if some of you could head out and investigate further, but still be on the scene. It's not easy getting out of the audience in case something happens_—_it will be extremely packed. Plus, this will be a good experience for you_—_using your Innocence in battles, that is."

Komui glanced at Allen, who didn't say anything.

"How about it, Allen-kun?"

The said boy shook his head much to Komui's disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Komui-san, but I refuse," Allen said determinedly.

Komui stared at him for a few moments as the other exorcists stood and waited.

"Okaaaaay!" Komui finally burst out, looking cheerful. "Participating or being in the audience, I don't care what method you use as long as you capture the Innocence."

He smiled at Allen.

"That Natsu boy means a lot to you, am I correct?"

"Yes," the white-haired exorcist replied, smiling.

* * *

"All ready to go," Johnny Gill informed Allen and Lavi, fixing his huge glasses, as the pair finally tried on their new uniforms in the science work room.

Allen thanked him gratefully. "Also, are you all right?" he noticed how pale and fidgety the scientist looked.

"I'm fine," Johnny assured him. "I just feel a bit rocky after that attack..." he shuddered, no doubt reliving the nightmarish experience Lulubell had put him through. "Oh it's not your fault!" he hasten to add, watching Allen's ashamed expression. "You were on a job, after all..."

Reever Wenhamm greeted Allen and Lavi on the way out. "It's great to have you two back," he said, grinning at them. "Kanda and Lenalee are waiting at the Ark. And the Chief wishes you luck. Be safe."

"You too. We'll be on our way then!" Allen called, as he and Lavi left.

* * *

Reever walked towards the telephone on his desk, picked it up and punched in a number.

"_This is Komui Lee speaking."_

"Chief, they've already left," Reever said into the telephone.

"_Good work. Did Malcolm Leverrier from the Vatican call?"_

"Yes, sir. He and his assistant Howard Link are arriving tomorrow." Reever hesitated. "To inspect Allen," he finally added.

"_Does Allen-kun know?"_

"Obviously not."

"_Good. Things are going according to plan."_

"Chief," Reever began quietly, as his fellow scientists barged into the room, setting up for work, "I still don't understand why you immediately sent Allen off."

Komui sounded awfully serious on the other line. _"Isn't it obvious, Reever? They want to arrest Allen; I won't let them."_

* * *

"Lavi?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't you feel kinda guilty too?" Allen asked the taller boy quietly.

Lavi, who had his hands behind his head, dropped them to his sides. "About leaving Natsu and everyone? Yeah."

"This isn't how I planned to say our goodbyes."

Lavi laughed. "Yeah. The Spirit World kinda messed it up for us, huh?"

The two made their way into the Ark room. Just as Reever said, Lenalee and Kanda were waiting for them.

"It's been so long since we've all been on a job together!" Lenalee said happily as everyone clambered inside the Ark. Allen cast her a sad look, knowing that she must've been on jobs by herself for the past three months.

"Oh, by the way," Lenalee said to Allen and Lavi, "Komui-niisan said we'll have to take the train there if we're heading to Crocus."

"Did he give us any money or jewels, as they call it?" Lavi asked hopefully.

"Nope."

"Typical Komui."

* * *

They ended up at the Magnolia Town Train Station.

"Wow. That was fast and totally convenient," Lavi mused, sounding throughly pleased, as Lenalee eyed the station with great interest.

"I didn't expect the Gate to end up here," Allen said, looking slightly surprised.

One of the conductors was great help.

"I see," he said, when Lavi explained the situation. "Can't be helped if you don't have any jewels... Heh, well get on board then. My train is in station 5."

They thanked him and proceeded to the said station and clambered aboard the black train. Kanda deliberately took a seat that was at least ten rows away from Allen, Lenalee, and Lavi, but unfortunately had to sit with them as the attendant informed him that those seats were reserved for other passengers.

"Aw, Yuu! Turn that frown upside down!" Lavi said brightly as Kanda came back with a scowl on his face.

"Did I ever tell you that you were on my death list?" Kanda hissed dangerously to Lavi, who gulped.

"Now, now, don't be like that! We'll play a game so you won't get bored!"

"Hell no," Kanda growled, "your games are ridiculous."

"Ouch, Yu— so cold, so mean..."

_"Kanda!" _Lenalee said warningly, but Kanda ignored her.

Allen narrowed his eyes, his head resting on one hand.

"Gee, Kanda, please tell me who you inherited your simple-minded attitude from."

_"Allen-kun!" _Lenalee looked shocked as Kanda snapped back a retort.

_"What did you say? _I dare you to repeat it again!" Kanda hissed.

The people on the train were starting to stare.

"Wow, don't tell me you're also deaf? How are you gonna score any girls like that, BaKanda?"

"Hey, hey, people are looking... does this always have to happen on every train ride?" Lavi said nervously, trying to cut in, but Kanda loudly interrupted him.

"Take a good look at yourself, you fricken moyashi. Who the hell would think that hairstyle is attractive?"

Allen actually snorted.

"At my least my hairstyle doesn't attract guys."

Everyone knew he went overboard. Lavi and Lenalee, the other passengers, hell even the attendant, whose mouth was opened in a perfect symmetrical 'o'.

_"Why you fucking —"_

"I'm heading to the restroom!" Lavi and Lenalee cried hastily, scooting out of the way as Kanda advanced on Allen with his Mugen unsheathed.

* * *

"I'm really, _really_ sorry!" Allen bowed so low to the conductor, it looked like he was going to go on his knees and beg.

The conductor looked uncertainly over at his totally ripped and torn seats; Kanda had literally chopped down half a row. He sighed.

"Listen, kid, I know you don't have any jewels, but I'm not letting you easily off the hook," he snapped sternly to Allen, who gulped.

And so they all ended up washing the dishes in the kitchen compartment under the eye of a freakin' scary chef.

"D-Damn, he's scary..." Lavi muttered, hastily scrubbing a pot with a sponge as the heavily-muscled chef glared behind him, "and just how the hell did I ended up doing this?"

"Don't complain, Lavi!" Lenalee whispered hurriedly, drying the plates. She kept glancing nervously over her shoulder at the chef. "He'll hear you!"

"That's right, Lavi. If you want to complain, complain at Kanda. He's the one who got us into this mess," Allen said dully, not bothering to lower his voice, causing Kanda to hear every word he said.

"What are you talking about, moyashi? You started it!" Kanda hissed angrily, washing the silverware with such ferocity Allen thought it ought to be fined.

"I started it!? I was the one who had to apologize, you know! If you weren't just so rude to Lavi —"

"Guys, chill out!" Lavi said nervously as the chef turned his head towards the group, "He'll hear us! I don't want to piss my pants!"

"I will if Kanda will just apologize!" Allen whispered stubbornly, wiping the plates so hard it made a squeaky sound.

"Tch."

The squeaky sound stopped. "What was that, BaKanda?"

"_Tch."_

_That damn Kanda..._ Allen thought angrily, now wiping a glass, _if he goes 'tch' again, I'm gonna go Crown Clown on his ass..._

"OUCHHHH!"

Three heads snapped automatically towards Lavi, who was bawling.

"What's wrong, Lavi?!" Allen whispered.

"_I cut my finger I cut my finger I cut my fingerrrrr!"_

"How the fuck do you cut your finger scrubbing a pot!?" Kanda snarled.

"I just do, okay!?"

Allen was about to exasperatedly say something when he felt a hot sensation behind his neck.

"Uh... is it me... or does my neck suddenly feel so... hot?" he said slowly.

"Yeah... feels like someone is breathing down my neck..." Lenalee said uncertainly.

They turned around to see a pissed-off chef glaring at them.

"Oh, shit," Lavi muttered.

* * *

"Oi, Luce! Did you find them?!" Natsu called to his blonde friend, panting as he caught up to her.

"No..." Lucy replied worriedly. "How about you, Natsu, Happy?"

"We searched all over the beach and the East Forest, but they weren't there!" Happy replied, his ears drooping.

"I don't get this... they should've been with us after Virgo dropped us off..." said Lucy, dropping to the sandy ground in defeat.

Virgo suddenly popped up. "Princess," she announced.

"Virgo! So? Did you find them!?" Lucy, Natsu and Happy waited hopefully.

The maid spirit bowed. "My deepest apologies, Princess. I could not find them."

"So they weren't left in the Spirit World after all, huh?" Natsu said glumly as Lucy dismissed Virgo.

"What should we do? Erza won't be happy," said the sad Exceed.

"In any case, let's head back."

Lucy, Natsu and Happy were so dispirited that they trotted back to the beach walking like puppets.

"No luck?" Erza said briskly the second she saw them.

The three puppets shook their heads.

Erza sighed. "All right. We're heading out."

The Lucy puppet glanced up sharply. "Right now?!"

"Yeah. Someone sent us a note saying to head to a bridge in the West Woods."

* * *

_Three days later_

* * *

Two guards were busily on duty at the Crocus Train Station.

"_Train #61, Station 5, Magnolia Town," _a pleasant female voice spoke on the intercom.

"This way, this way!" the guards shouted to the conductor as the big black train arrived at their destination. The guards gave the signal and the black train came to a final stop.

The passengers began piling out.

"Welcome to Crocus, welcome to Crocus," Guard number 1 kept saying as the passengers passed, a smile plastered on his face. "Welcome to— ACK!"

To his bewilderment, a red-haired boy with an eyepatch and a white-haired boy suddenly clambered off the train and flopped onto the ground, nearly kissing it.

"I missed you, good 'ol land!" they cried.

"_Lavi! Allen-kun_! That's seriously disgusting!" The guard's attention turned to a Chinese girl who stepped off.

"It really is! So please move your lips away from the ground!" is what the guard wanted to say, but a Japanese boy interrupted him.

"What are you retards doing?" he growled at the two.

"Shut up, BaKanda."

"Yeah, you're just too unmanly to join us."

"Like hell I am!" BaKanda snarled.

_What're these people doing? They're ruining my job! _The guard cleared his throat importantly. "Excuse m—"

"_Honestly!" _The Chinese girl snatched both boys on the ground by the ear and started yanking them up.

"Ouch, ouch!"

"Lenalee, did you go to the nurse for ear-yanking lessons or something?"

"Allen-kun, Lavi, behave yourselves!" the girl named Lenalee said sternly, her hands on her hips.

The guard sighed. Whew. At least that was over. He noticed the group walking towards him.

_This is my chance!_ He put on a welcoming smile.

"Welcome to Crocus!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Man I hate kitchen service... that chef was freakin' scary."

"I wonder if Crocus has any good food?"

"They better have soba."

The guard looked stunned as they all walked past him.

Guard number 2 placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay."

* * *

There was one word to describe Crocus, the capital of the Kingdom of Fiore : freakin' huge.

There was no doubt about it; Crocus was a very fancy town, full of towering buildings placed in a sphere-like formation. There were endless gardens placed everywhere, making the place bright and colourful. Forests and mountains could be seen far away. The atmosphere was exciting and welcoming; every person in town could not wait for the Games to start.

"And here I was thinking Magnolia Town was awesome..." Lavi mused, his emerald green eye bright and suddenly awake.

"It's so festival-like here," Lenalee agreed.

Allen caught a whiff of a delicious smell. "I'm hungry..." he didn't even notice his mouth was watering.

"By the way, didn't Komui say there was one more extra person?" Lavi reminded them as the four exorcists carefully made their way past a packed street.

"Oh yeah... But I don't see anyone familiar," said Allen, glancing around. There were so many packed people, he was having a hard time navigating his way through. They finally took refuge in a corner near a supermarket.

"Extra! Extra! _Fiore's Last Year Top Ten Guilds!_ Extra! Extra!" A little boy was running everywhere, shoving newspapers into people's arms. He suddenly trotted up to the white-haired exorcist and shoved a newspaper on him, leaving with an "Extra! Extra!"

"Weird kid," Lavi commented, as Allen unfolded the newspaper and read out, "Grand Magic Games : Year X790 Top Ten Guilds..." he looked down at the listed guilds.

"Isn't Natsu's guild Fairy Tail?" Lavi asked, peering over Allen's shoulder to read.

"Yeah..." Allen scanned through the list with a sunken feeling. "They're not listed here..."

"Sabertooth?" Lavi asked, looking at the number one guild. "So they were the winners last year, huh?"

"And Lamia Scale as number two..." Allen muttered.

"We'll be staying in the audience right?" Lenalee chipped in.

"Mhm. It's better that way." Allen folded the newspaper and chucked it into a nearby trash bin.

Lenalee looked thoughtful. "Then... which guild are we cheering for?"

Lavi and Allen exchanged looks and grinned.

"Fairy Tail."

* * *

Tyki Mikk sighed in frustration. It had been three months, which meant 13 weeks, which meant 91 days, which meant about 2220 hours and STILL he failed to find Allen Walker, which meant that Allen Walker was freaking good at hide and seek.

"I'm in for some shit," he groaned to himself, collapsing on Road's armchair.

"_Tykiiiiiiiii~!"_

He heard Road's voice and groaned again.

"I'm not in the mood, Road," he said dully as she appeared, her face alive with happiness. "And what're you so happy for?"

"Because I found himmmmmmm!" Road said triumphantly, pulling Tyki out of the chair.

"Good for you. Now go play somewhere else, I want time to sulk."

Road narrowed her eyes and pouted.

"Tyki you meaaaaanie! You're not even listening to me! Here you are, dead and sulking while I just found Allen~!"

Tyki nearly went flying out of the chair. "W-what?! Are you serious!?" He had spent three months searching for the poker boy and Road just suddenly happens to find him? How the hell did that work?

"I'm serious~! I was peeking around Crocus and I saw him walking around with those other three exorcists," Road replied slyly.

"Are you lying, Road? I won't help you with your math if you are."

Road stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm nooot! You suck at math anyway! I'm serious! Go out there and see for yourself! I saw Allen!" she began to dance around happily, as Tyki let out a sigh that was half-exasperated, half-relieved.

* * *

"Fairy Tail?" Lenalee asked thoughtfully.

"Yes. It's a guild my..." Allen stopped. Was Natsu his friend?

"Your...?"

"Well it's a friendly guild. They've shown us around." Allen finished lamely.

"I see! So you guys were in good hands." Lenalee smiled at him and Lavi.

"Hey, Lenalee, what's that bracelet on your arm?" Lavi asked curiously, pointing to a metal bracelet on Lenalee's left arm.

"Oh. It was just something Komui-niisan made for me." Lenalee shrugged.

"Um... are you sure that's safe to wear?" Allen had enough experience of seeing Komui create strange inventions.

"Should be. They don't feel weird or anything."

The Chinese girl noticed that Allen kept looking around. "Are you looking for the Fairy Tail guild?"

"Huh? Yeah..." Allen was half-scared, half-excited.

"The Games are starting in about two days, so they should be here soon."

Allen looked around again. There was no sign of Fairy Tail or Natsu. His heart sank. Did they not come after all?

But then he realized something : Natsu and his guild were training for the Games, but because they were in the Spirit World, didn't one day having passed meant three months for them too?

Lavi seemed to be thinking the same thing, for he gave the cursed boy a worried look.

"Lavi..."

"Yeah..."

Lenalee looked confused. She was about to ask something when a voice interrupted her.

"_Waaaaaaalkerrrrrrr!"_

"Eh?!" Allen spun around in complete bewilderment.

"Hey... isn't that..." Lavi's jaw dropped open.

A man with blond hair sporting a black beret and a tight-fitting white jacket was sprinting madly towards them, with a dark-skinned man who wore the exorcist uniform.

Allen rubbed his eyes to make sure they were working properly.

"WALKERRRRR!"

"BAK-SAN!?" Allen cried out.

"_Marie!" _Even Kanda was astonished.

"WA —" Bak Chang seemed to take notice of Lenalee. He stopped halfway through the sprint, and seemed to be balancing himself, half falling, half standing.

_C-Crap! Lenalee! M-Must not break out in hi-hives!_

"Bak-san?" Allen's voice seemed to be coming to him from a seriously long distance.

"Are you okay, Bak-san!?" Lenalee suddenly rushed forwards, making Bak squawk. She snatched him by the arm to prevent him from falling and the metal bracelet on her arm activated, electrifying the Head of the Asian Branch.

Lenalee let out a shriek, automatically yanking her arm away.

"Um..." Allen looked down awkwardly at the fried man before him, "I think I know why Komui-san gave you that bracelet..."

"Ahhh, I'm so sorry!" Lenalee kept apologizing to an electrified and stupefied Bak. She tried to take off the bracelet but to no avail.

"It won't come off!"

_What?! Does that mean I can't touch Lenalee-chan? Damn you, Komuuuuuui!_ Bak cursed in his head.

"Well, on the bright side, no one can see your hives," Lavi said cheerfully, much to Bak's annoyance.

* * *

"I see... so you and Marie-san came to Crocus a few days ahead of us," Allen mused, after they took Bak to a nearby hospital (where the doctor didn't mind healing him for free). It was just Allen, Lavi and Bak in the hospital room; Kanda, Marie and Lenalee went off wandering around.

"That's right." Bak, who was mildly covered in bandages, limped on two crutches as he stood up to take out something from his pocket and gave it to Allen. "Here."

"Eh?" Allen took the item. It was a stamp tool. "What's this for?"

"It's an insignia stamp," Bak explained. "Try putting it somewhere on your body."

Lavi sniggered. Allen cast him a dark look.

"I see you have a dirty imagination, Lavi. That's gross."

"I don't!" Lavi said hastily, although his wide grin gave it away.

Rolling up his sleeves, Allen deliberately placed the stamp tool on his left shoulder and gasped as a white cross-like insignia was produced.

"What the heck is that?" Lavi asked, no longer snickering.

"Heh," Bak gave them a mysterious smirk, "that is our guild mark."

"W-what?" Allen stared at the stamp tool, then up at a smirking Bak. "Guild?"

Bak looked surprised. Settling himself down onto his bed, he said, "Didn't Komui give you the instructions? We'll be participating in the Games."

Allen and Lavi exchanged looks.

"Bak-san, the plan has been changed," said Allen, giving the stamp tool back, "we've decided to just be in the audience."

Bak looked flabbergasted. "Then... Are you telling me I signed up as a legal guild for nothing!?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Lavi piped in.

"So that's why you went off ahead of us? To sign up as a guild first?" Allen asked the Asian Head.

"Of course. The original plan was to have five of you as participants in the Games, and me as the Master." Bak sighed at them. "But now my efforts were for nothing."

Allen felt a guilty squirm. "I'm sorry, Bak-san," he said quickly.

"Don't apologize, Walker." Bak gave him a smile, then looked at the stamp tool. "If we're going to be in the audience, then I suggest we figure out a team formation," he said seriously. "Position ourselves up. That way, we'll have an easier time dealing with the Innocence."

"You know where the Innocence is?" Lavi and Allen asked hopefully.

"No, but I have an inkling. Have you seen the arena for the Games?"

"No," the two exorcists replied in unison.

"Well, I suggest you two should go check it out then."

* * *

Lavi and Allen left the hospital, and following Bak's instructions, trotted on their way to see the battle arena for the Games. But Bak had scribbled down weird directions; they found themselves on top of a large hill after travelling for what seemed like an hour.

"What the heck is this?" Lavi said in utter disbelief, checking the instructions, "is he really bad at geography or something? I don't see the arena anywhere!" All they could see was a grand view of Crocus.

"Wait, Lavi." Allen tapped the red-haired boy's arm. "Look there," he said, pointing to the west of Crocus, to where the mountains where.

The arena for the Grand Magic Games was literally ON the west mountains. There were four statues that looked like warriors hovering high above it, each attached to a chain. Lavi understood why Bak hadn't literally directed them to the arena; the arena was connected to the town by a long stone bridge, and it seemed to be sealed.

"I feel kinda intimidated," Allen said nervously.

"It looks like one of those Roman battle arenas," Lavi mused thoughtfully.

There was a sudden funny sound, like someone stepping on a branch. The two exorcists swung around; Lavi turned around so fast he appeared to crack his neck.

"Ouch!" he said angrily, rubbing the sore spot. "What was that?" he and Allen peered around the hill; it was quite deserted.

"I could've sworn I heard a noise," Allen said suspiciously, his awareness level raising. "I'm just gonna go take a look around."

"I'm coming with you," Lavi demanded, "you have a bad habit of disappearing."

The two exorcists slowly made their way off of the hill, both of them constantly looking behind their backs.

But suddenly, there was whooshing sound and Allen's left eye activated.

"Akuma!?" he cried out loud, automatically activating his Innocence. "Lavi, can you see it?!"

"Why are you asking me when you have a freaking akuma detector!?" Lavi cried, activating his Innocence and wildly swinging his hammer around; he had never been so caught off guard.

Allen focused on his cog-wheeled eye. He could see it. The soul of the akuma, lurking behind a tree.

"Over there!"

_"Innocence Level 2 : __**Fire Stamp: Hellfire and Ash!**__" _Allen watched as Lavi's fire serpent lured the akuma out.

It was a level two in some form of a demonic fairy, and a very angry one at that.

"Damn exorcists! You know how close I was to defeating you!?" It shouted.

"Yeah!" Lavi retorted back. "Never! Finish him off, Allen!"

"_**Crown Ed**_— hey that's cheating!" Allen yelled as the level two akuma sprinted off, ascending into the air with its wings. Allen scowled. Why did every akuma had to run off whenever he attacked them?

"This is no time to be thinking! Get on!" Lavi suddenly grabbed him by the elbow. "_Big Hammer, Little Hammer : __**grow, grow, grow**__!"_

Allen let out a yelp as Lavi extended the hammer to grow endlessly; it stretched after the akuma and they were able to follow it.

"Dammit! Die, exorcists!" the akuma shouted, noticing them and shooting what looked like iced fire; Allen was wobbling around as Lavi tried to dodge them.

Lavi cursed. "Allen, can you shoot that thing for me!?" he called out, "I can't fight and navigate at the same time!"

"Got it!" With some difficulty, Allen managed to postion himself so that he was standing on Lavi's extending hammer, and was preparing to attack. The red-haired exoricst noticed this.

"_You idiot! Don't stand on my hammer! You'll fall!"_ he screeched, as Allen began to wobble and had trouble balancing himself.

"C-crap!" Allen cried, doing weird movements to keep himself steady. The akuma laughed, much to their annoyance. It was laughing so much, it didn't realize where it was going and bumped into a tall building wall, damaging its wings.

"N-NO!" It cried, falling down and crashing onto the hard ground.

"We're heading down!" Allen heard Lavi call. He let out a shriek as the hammer went extending downwards and nearly lost his footing.

"What the hell are you doing, Allen?!" Lavi cried, realizing that the cursed boy was holding onto his scarf for dear life, "you're gonna choke me! My neck still hurts!"

"S-Sorry!" Allen yelled back, even though he began to hold on tighter, continuing to have the air being sucked out of his friend, "we're almost there! Can you go faster!?"

With a rough dismount, Lavi and Allen flopped onto the hard, stone ground, Lavi's hammer deactivated and Lavi himself passing out from lack of air. They had apparently landed on the side of a towering building in some deserted street. The level two akuma was laying limply by some flowerbeds.

Allen hastily strode over to the akuma, his Innocence still activated. He was about to strike, when —

_"Stop right there!"_ a weird voice stopped him. Allen turned around in bewilderment.

A man about the height and size of Happy was advancing towards him, wearing a striped shirt with a green cape. He had a giant pumpkin for a head, with a green witch-like hat. Allen just stood there stunned as the pumpkin man looked at him up and down.

"What are you —"

Allen had no time to process what the pumpkin man said, for the level two akuma was suddenly on its feet, shooting iced fire everywhere.

"Get out of the way!" Allen shouted to the pumpkin, who looked mortified. Taking a huge leap, the cursed boy jumped towards the shocked akuma, and with his clawed hand, sliced the akuma like a piercing knife, effectively annihilating it.

The pumpkin's jaw dropped open as Allen stepped gracefully onto the ground.

"Are you okay?" The white-haired exorcist asked, deactivating his Innocence.

"You... you..." The pumpkin pointed a trembling finger at him.

"I-I'm not a suspicious person!" Allen said hastily, throwing his hands up.

The pumpkin didn't seemed to be listening to him. He was staring at Allen with something close to wonder.

"I've finally decided!" he squeaked, straightening himself up.

"Eh?"

"I've decided that you" — he now pointed at Allen happily — "will participate in the Games!"

Allen looked stupefied.

"WHAAAAT?!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer** : I do not own FT or DGM, yeah?

* * *

Chapter Eight

* * *

The pumpkin man jumped when he heard Allen screech.

"Nice yell! Best save it for the tournament though," he said brightly, fixing his hat which was lopsided.

"W-Wait," Allen said hastily, his mind foggy, "you've got it all wrong, I'm not in a guild or anything —"

But the little pumpkin pointed to Allen's left shoulder. "Then how do you explain that?"

"Explain —?" Allen glanced at his left shoulder, and to his horror he saw that his sleeves were torn; the white cross-like insignia was clearly seen between the stray threads on his left shoulder.

_W-what is this?! The — the timing is way too perfect!_

The pumpkin looked up sharply as Allen groaned. "By the way, what was that thing? It destroyed the flower beds!" he exclaimed, shaking his large orange head in dismay.

_Who cares about the flower beds?_ Allen thought exasperatedly.

"That thing was an akuma. It's dangerous, so you'd better be careful wandering around at night."

"Interesting! Wow!" the pumpkin said thoughtfully as Allen frowned; the cursed boy clearly didn't see what was so interesting about an akuma. "Anyway" — he pointed a tiny finger at Allen again — "you can't lie to me! I know you're in a guild!"

"You're mistaken!"Allen said hastily, wondering why he was even arguing with a talking pumpkin in the first place, "I came here to watch the Games!"

"But you're going to participate in the Games instead! Just give me your guild forum and I'll manage to squeeze you in! No biggie! Aren't you excited?" The pumpkin squeaked happily.

"Ex-excited?! I'm absolutely terrified!" Allen cried. Everything was backfiring! He was suppose to be cheering for Natsu's guild! Who the heck is this pumpkin?! Why does he have such a giant head?!

"I see... Well, the shock will wear off soon. You'll get used to it."

"W-Wait! Why do I have to participate?! Who are you, anyway?!" Allen cried, losing his polite composure.

The mysterious small pumpkin gave a wink and ignored his questions, much to Allen's irritation. "Do you have your forum?" he asked, ignoring Allen's splutters.

"No, I do not! And more importantly, I'm not participating! Get that in your head already!"

"If you're not participating, I'll kick you out of Crocus," the happy-go-lucky pumpkin answered in a sudden serious tone. "And maybe list you as a wanted person," he added.

_W-what the hell?! Just how much power does this little guy have?!_ Allen was suddenly panicky.

"Y-you're going to kick me out if I refuse to enter?" he stammered weakly. If they got kicked out after all the effort they went through... Bak and Komui would be disappointed... Lenalee would be crushed... Lavi would be dispirited... and Kanda's Mugen would be enough to scream _bloody_ _murder_.

The pumpkin scratched his rough head guiltily. "Cruel of me, isn't it? But I never saw anyone with such magic power! If you and your guild participates, the Games this year will be crazy and entertaining! You're an unusual one though," he added as an afterthought, eyeing Allen's hair and cursed eye.

"Thank you," Allen muttered automatically, used to people making strange comments on his appearance. He suddenly realized something that never occurred to him : the people here were fascinated with him as he was with them.

"So, the reason you want me to enter is because you think I'll make the Games more interesting?" Allen asked suspiciously.

"Exactly~!" The pumpkin gave him a toothy grin, glad at last that he cottoned on, "I want to spice up the Games! So, what do you say, young chap? Well, it's not like you have a choice anyway, with me having to kick you out if you refuse."

_What's up with this little guy? Is he really that desperate, wanting me to participate?_ Allen obviously never realized it before, but the thought of using his Innocence in front of an audience was quite unnerving. Besides, what was so interesting about him? He didn't possess anything special; the other mages in the Games were probably a hundred times more 'interesting'.

"So, I'll meet you here again on Carnival Street tomorrow morning! Don't forget to bring your forum, that way I can approve you as a participant. If you don't come" — the small pumpkin narrowed his odd eyes dangerously — "you'd better say your last goodbyes to Crocus!" He turned on his heel and took off, not hearing Allen's cry.

"W-WAIT! YOU'VE GOT IT ALL WRONG! I DIDN'T EVEN SAY ANYTHING!"

But the small pumpkin was long gone, having disappeared into the night.

Frustrated, Allen cursed.

* * *

"Hey. Lavi. Get up."

The green-eyed boy groaned. He felt strangely light-headed, probably due to the fact that Allen was nearly strangling him to death with his scarf. He cracked his eye open to find his white-haired friend looking down at him, a worried expression on his face.

Lavi sat bolt upright and felt his still sore neck.

"Man, Allen, never do that again," he said weakly, the colour returning to his face as the blood started to flow.

Allen apologized quickly. "But we have another crisis," he said dully, pulling stray threads out of his ripped sleeves. (_How did that happen?_ Lavi vaguely wondered.)

Lavi raised an eyebrow. "What d'you mean? Oh wait, the akuma —!"

"I've already took care of it, don't worry," the younger boy assured him, "but now..."

He heaved a sigh and flopped down onto the grass, causing Bookman's apprentice to glance at him sharply.

"What is it?" Lavi demanded. He looked up at the almost dark horizon and frowned; how long had he been unconscious?

"We gotta head back soon or els —"

"— Lavi, would you believe me if I told you I met a talking pumpkin?" Allen suddenly interrupted out of nowhere.

"— Bak and — wait, what?" Lavi stopped mid-sentence, looking bemused.

"I met a talking pumpkin, and now we're forced to pumpki — I mean, participate in the Games." Allen sighed, looking stressed and exhausted.

Lavi blinked multiple times. "W-what? I'm not getting you, man."

Allen groaned and started all over.

"... so he said to bring the guild forum to him tomorrow or else we'll be kicked out of Crocus." Allen finished. "And probably be listed as criminals," he added glumly.

"Let me get this straight," said Lavi, standing up and pacing around as Allen watched wearily, "you destroyed the akuma, saved a talking pumpkin, and then he tells you that you have to enter the Games or else we'll be kicked out of the town as criminals?"

"_Yes,_" Allen replied, knowing how messed up the story sounded.

Lavi shook his head with such ferocity, his headband was about to fly off. "Allen, did you hit your head too hard or something?" he asked, looking at his white-haired friend in disbelief.

"No, I did not! And for your information, Lavi, weren't _you_ the one that got knocked out unconscious?" Allen snapped.

Lavi smiled uncertainly. "Yeah, well..." He scratched his head. He had no idea what to do, so instead he suggested they walk back to the hospital. Whipping out the map Bak had given him, he and Allen took off, retracing their way back.

"What should we do? What should we do?" Allen kept repeating, the second they turned a corner.

_I think you should sleep, because you're driving me crazy,_ Lavi thought irritatingly. Allen rarely ever got panicked. It was unnerving to see him like this.

The eye-patch boy glanced at his panic-stricken friend; there was a faint, amused look in his eye. "What're you so worried for?"

"I think you'll be worried if a talking pumpkin pops out of nowhere and forces you to participate in the Games!" Allen hissed.

"Seriously, Allen, you're scary when you're like this. What happened to the extreme gentlemen thing?"

"What's that suppose to mean?! I'm just worried about what Bak-san and everyone else will say!"

"About what? That you saw a talking pumpkin? Don't worry, it's probably just some kid in a costume," Lavi assured the anxious boy as they entered the town square.

"He didn't sound like a kid though... and what kind of kid threatens a person? Anyway, I'm not even sure if that pumpkin was human or not," said Allen, looking nervous.

"Well... maybe a pumpkin and a man gangbanged each other and they made a kid," Lavi said jokingly.

"Lavi! That's gross and disturbing!"

"Sorry, I think I need some sleep too."

Finally arriving at the hospital, the two exorcists were about to head inside the building when a familiar girl met them at the entrance.

"Oh! Lenalee!" Allen nearly staggered into her; she was standing outside in the dark.

Lavi saw the outline of Lenalee as she giggled.

"Sorry, Allen-kun. I was just about to go look for you two," said Lenalee, relief in her voice. "Bak-san was worried that you guys didn't come back yet," she added, noticing the confused looks on their faces.

"Yeah, we had a pretty eventful evening." Lavi grinned.

"We all moved into the inn down the block," Lenalee informed them, "since Bak-san is somewhat healed and we can't all stay in the hospital."

"An inn? So we finally have jewels?" Allen asked the older girl as they walked down the block, the moonlight shining on the pavement.

Lenalee nodded happily. "A lady paid us a lot just for planting pear trees around her house."

"Oh, so that's what you and Kanda and Marie were doing awhile ago."

"Yup!"

"Pear trees..." Allen mused thoughtfully.

"Uh, Allen, your saliva's dripping..."

* * *

Back at the inn in the lobby, Bak Chang was scribbling on a piece of parchment at a table, making various lines and numbers.

"So this is the arena for the Games," he said, talking somewhat loudly to Kanda and Marie as the lady at the breakfast bar looked coldly over at them, "now, if my memory serves right, the audience seats are in a circular formation all around the arena. Kanda, have you seen the statues they put up there?"

Kanda nodded.

"The seats have four large dividers connected to the statues... so basically, each statue has its own audience." The Asian Head scratched his head with the pen, "so if I placed four of you at those stations..."

Kanda watched as Bak jotted down his name at Station Three. Marie listened quietly, wondering whether the other three exorcists were back yet.

"It'll be easier if we can just grab the Innocence and go," Kanda said shortly, settling himself down on a chair and crossing his arms. "No need to do any of this stuff. It's a waste of time."

"That may be the case, Kanda," Bak replied, not looking up from his work, "but the problem is that we don't know _where_ the Innocence is, specifically."

"What? So what's the point of coming to the arena when the Innocence could be located anywhere else?" Kanda demanded, wondering why Komui and Bak just _had_ to make this mission so complicated.

Bak looked up thoughtfully. "It's not that. I have a hunch that the Innocence is definitely _somewhere_ around the arena, but I don't know specifically where."

"And what gave you that hunch?" asked Kanda, his eyes narrowing.

"A few days ago before you four came here, I was investigating around with Marie," said Bak, as Marie nodded. "I ran into a person who was part of a guild that participated years ago in the Games. She said she wasn't participating again this year because she hated the feeling of _power_ around it."

"The feeling of power?"

"Yes. She explained that she was terrified by the power surrounding the arena. And — well, I couldn't get anything else out of her as she completely lost it after that." Bak sighed.

"I don't get it," said Kanda, "what the hell is that suppose to mean?"

Bak tried to break it down into simpler words. "There's a mysterious source around the arena."

"Then it has to be Innocence," Kanda snapped, as Bak sighed in exasperation.

"Yeah. And that brings me to why I'm creating this map. I've thought up of a strategy : for example, Walker is stationed at statue number 1, and Lavi at 4. What we'll do is create a certain time schedule."

"Time schedule?" Marie asked quietly. He suddenly heard loud footsteps approaching from far away, but he wasn't sure if Bak and Kanda had heard; it was probably his sharp ears.

"Yeah. I'll explain when they get he —"

Right on cue, the two boys and Lenalee burst into the lobby, making a loud noise as the entrance doors banged. The lady at the bar jumped at the noise and rushed over, looking angry.

"All of you are making such a racket at this late hour!" she said shrilly, finally losing her temper. She turned to Bak, giving him a key and fuming. "Now that they're here, please pay for your room and _leave_!"

"L-Lenalee, the money —" Bak was about to reach out for the jewels, but suddenly remembered that Lenalee had her metal bracelet on. Lenalee seemed to have forgotten, but Kanda didn't.

"Give it," Kanda said impatiently, yanking Bak's arm away before the latter could get electrified. He snatched the money and literally threw it at the lady's face, much to her shock.

"S-Shit! Run for it!" Bak yelled, reaching for his crutches and they all took off towards the stairs.

* * *

To everyone's relief, the lady did not end up chasing them to the fourth level. Lenalee inserted the key into the keyhole of room 281. There was a sound of a click as the door allowed them entry and they all clambered inside gratefully. Inside, there appeared to be three rooms. They were in the main/living room. On the left was a washroom and the right a bedroom that had two beds. At the back of the main room was a door leading outside to the balcony. It was strangely spacious for such a small inn.

"Th-That was close," said Lavi, clutching his chest as he closed the door and locked it for good measure.

Bak sat down on the couch and laid his two crutches beside it while taking off his beret. "I thought there was good service here," he said, frowning.

"Good service my ass," Kanda growled. "That was the shittiest service I've ever received." Allen privately agreed.

Bak took out the map he was working on. He beckoned Allen and Lavi to come closer (Lenalee kept a bit of distance, determined not to electrify him), and showed them the paper.

"Here's the team formation I've thought up so far."

"Uh..." Allen looked at the complicated formation nervously. "Actually, Bak-san..." He gulped. He had no idea how to start explaining the situation they were in. He glanced at Lavi for support, but for some reason the green-eyed boy was busy checking out the place.

"Is it not good?" Bak took his paper back, examining it with a frown.

"That's not it..." Allen could feel sweat forming around his forehead. He wasn't sure why he was nervous. Oh wait, maybe he did. He glanced quickly at Kanda's sheathed Mugen, and remembered that Kanda would give him bloody murder if he got everyone and himself kicked out of Crocus after all they've been through.

But it has to be done, right?

"What's the matter? You look pale, you're not sick, are you?" Bak looked at him anxiously.

_Oh, I'm not pale from sickness, Bak-san. I'm just pale because I might get everyone here kicked out of the Crocus without capturing the Innocence. And Kanda might slice up my intestines._

Allen cleared his throat. "Something happened awhile ago." His voice was husky, so he cleared it again.

"What happened?" Bak asked sharply, as Marie, Kanda, and Lenalee snapped their heads towards the cursed boy. Lavi stopped observing the room and crossed his arms while leaning against the door.

"Well..."

* * *

Two young men were strolling around the deserted town, stopping by Crocus's magnificent water fountain that had a statue releasing a steady flow of water from its mouth.

One of the boys had spiky blond hair, and he sported a blue vest that had gray fur with pants held up by suspenders. Putting his long, gloved arm into the cool water, he splashed around a bit, then sighed.

"Tomorrow is the last day... and I haven't seen Natsu-san yet."

"Maybe Fairy Tail won't participate this year," said the other boy, who had black hair. His outfit was concealed by a long black cape.

"No." The first boy corrected him, watching his reflection in the water, "Fairy Tail will definitely participate. I'm sure of it, since Natsu-san returned."

The second boy didn't say anything but glared up at the moon. "It's late. We should head back."

"Yeah. Lector must be waiting for me. Hold on for a sec." The blond-haired boy rummaged around in his pockets and took out a gold coin. He flicked it into the fountain. "Make a wish for Sabertooth," he called out to the second boy.

* * *

Back in room 281, every single eye was on Allen. The nervous boy was just wrapping up his explanation as everyone listened.

"... and that's the story." Allen finally finished.

Kanda, who had settled down in an armchair, merely scoffed.

"That's the most bullshit story I've ever heard."

"Thanks," Allen said sardonically, giving Kanda a look just as Bak chipped in, "He's telling the truth, Kanda."

"What?" said Kanda and Allen in unison. Allen expected Bak to be disappointed, angry even, but on the contrary, the Head of the Asian Branch looked rather pleased.

"Y-you actually believe me?" Allen spluttered, while Kanda made a 'tch' sound.

"Heh." The Director looked suddenly smug. Tugging on his tight-fitting jacket, he beamed at Allen and said, "You thought I came here without researching crucial information, Walker?"

"Um..." Allen hesitated. "I did, actually," he answered truthfully and grinned guiltily, causing Bak to squawk as Lenalee and Lavi laughed.

"Well, Walker, you underestimated the great me!" The Chinese Head huffed. "Don't take me so lightly, you know, I work hard." he pouted, sounding much more child-like.

"I'm sorry, Bak-san. But what did you mean by 'telling the truth'?" Allen asked curiously.

"The talking pumpkin. It really does exist you know," Bak told him, although his eye was on a scowling Kanda.

"It does?! Thank goodness." Allen sighed. So he wasn't crazy after all. "But who is he?"

"A kid in a costume maybe?" Lavi chipped in hopefully, but Bak shook his head.

"Not so sure about the costume, but he's not a kid. Well, not from what my sources tell me."

_I wonder where Bak-san gets his sources_... Allen mused thoughtfully to himself. He gave Lavi a look that said _I-told-you-so_ as the Chinese man continued.

"But I know one thing for sure : he's the legendary referee and mascot of the Games."

The reaction was immediate; Allen and Lavi's jaws dropped open, both of them looking flabbergasted. Lenalee looked excited, Marie looked politely interested, and Kanda still had a Kanda-ish scowl on his face.

"_What?!_" Lavi and Allen cried at the same time. It was hard to tell whether they were excited or terrified, or maybe both.

"So — so that's why he was trying to force me to enter the Games!" said Allen, the realization coming to him. "He was just doing his job to make it more entertaining... Wow."

"When you do think about it, us exorcists are different from mages," Lavi agreed.

"But it's quite surprising that you ran into him, Walker. He normally shows his face when the Games starts," said Bak, giving Allen an approving look.

_Yeah... And look where it got us_, Allen thought uncertainly.

"Wait just a second." Kanda finally interrupted, "are you telling me we have to participate in this Grand-whatever Games?"

"You're not okay with it, Yuu?" Lavi asked.

"Like hell I am!" Kanda stood up. "What's the point in doing all this shit? I'd say just look around for the Innocence and then get the hell out of here. This is turning into a huge, complicated mission," he demanded, directing his words at Bak, who stiffened.

"Complicated or not, it's still a mission, and you have to take part in it," Bak told Kanda briskly, "the same goes for everyone."

_But it's true..._ Allen thought to himself,_ Kanda's right. Our objective is just the Innocence. It's not necessary to do any of this..._

"You can't ignore Komui's orders, Kanda. It's either participating or being in the audience. But now that Walker encountered a meeting tonight with the referee— well, you'll know what'll happen, won't you?"

Kanda glared at Bak for several moments when Marie finally intervened.

"He's right, Kanda," Marie told him in his deep, calm voice, "you can't disobey orders."

Defeated, Kanda sat back down without saying a word, although he still looked displeased.

"Kanda? Am I taking your word for it? That you'll participate?" Bak looked tired. Allen thought of Komui back in the Order, and silently praised him for having to put up with Kanda for so long.

"Yeah," Kanda muttered, and Bak let out a sigh of relief.

"Right then, there's something else that Walker mentioned that I want to discuss," he announced, sounding much more brisk.

"Eh?"

"Akumas," Bak said simply. "Walker, Lavi, you two came across a Level Two, right?"

They nodded.

"That's rare... For some strange reason, I haven't came across any akumas."

"That reminds me," Allen chipped in hastily, "three months ago, while Lavi and I were in Magnolia Town, we haven't came across any either, except for one."

"So did Kanda and the search party," said Bak, "there were no reports regarding any akumas sightings when they were searching for you two in Fiore."

"But... that doesn't sound right..." Lenalee voiced out loud. "There's Innocence here... and the fact that there's hardly any akumas... it's as if the Earl isn't making his move."

There was a sharp intake of breath at her words.

"True, it's weird that this place isn't swarming with akumas," Allen muttered quietly. "It's been three months... it's unusual for the Noahs and the Earl to be oddly inactive right now."

"But you and Lavi just encountered an akuma today," said Lenalee, "so the Earl isn't necessary inactive, is he?"

"We have no proof that akuma was born today. It could've been born from a soul three months ago and still managed to live." Allen reminded her.

"Oh, that's true... Come to think of it, the last time we saw a Noah was three months ago, when Lulubell attacked the Order," Lenalee said concernedly.

Allen, Lenalee and Lavi exchanged worried looks as Bak ruffled his hair. "Listen," he said in an exhausted voice, "let's just put aside that matter for now and focus on our situation." He rummaged in his pockets (Allen noticed that his jacket seemed to be nothing _but_ pockets) and took out an official-looking piece of paper.

"A few days ago, Marie and I went up to the Magic Council to propose us as a new guild."

"Wow, the Magic Council?" Allen was impressed. Bak Chang had guts.

"So they really do exist..." Lavi muttered, disappointed that he was wrong.

"Yeah. Look at our guild name." Bak passed the forum to Allen. "What do you think?" he asked smugly.

Allen was finding it hard to read with both Lavi and Lenalee peering over his shoulder at the forum. He skimmed past _Terms and Agreements_, Bak's loopy-ish signature, the guild mark that was already stamped onto his left shoulder (a very neat-looking cross that reminded him of his Innocence), and finally located his guild name.

"Whoa, _Apostles_?" Lavi raised an eyebrow.

"Good, isn't it?" said Bak with his still smug smile in place, looking as if he'd just created the best guild name in the world.

_Apostles..._ Allen glanced up. "It's not bad, actually. I like it," he said truthfully to an obviously pleased Director.

"Well, we are exorcists." Lavi grinned as Lenalee giggled. He looked over at Kanda.

"Guess what, Yuu? You're an Apostle now! You excited?" Lavi grinned again as Kanda looked confused.

"'Apostle'? Isn't that the same thing as Accommodators? You're not very creative," Kanda said gruffly to an offended Bak.

Bak cleared his throat. "Anyway, let's call it a night. Kanda, Marie" — he turned to Tiedoll's students — "there's two beds in the bedroom. You can take those." He turned back to the other three exorcists as Kanda and Marie left. "And we'll be sleeping in here. Is that all right?"

"Sure."

"There's blankets in here!" Lenalee called out, after opening a closet.

And finally, at 3AM, all the exorcists went to sleep.

* * *

**Crocus Time - 8:00AM**

* * *

"Aughhhhhh I could not sleep last night." Lavi groaned as he and Allen left first thing in the morning for their 'appointment'.

The second Allen had woken up, Bak had insisted that he march over to Carnival Street right away. Lavi had decided to tag along as company.

"It wasn't very peaceful, wasn't it?" Allen was still exhausted.

Although there was only Bak, himself, Lavi, and Lenalee sleeping in the main room, it was _noisy_. For one, Bak, who was sleeping on the couch, was snoring so loudly Allen actually expected the lady from the bar to march up to their room and insist they be quiet. Another thing about Bak was that he seemed to get excited in his sleep. Allen could swear he could literally _hear_ the hives forming. Lenalee, on the other hand, did not snore, but since she slept on the floor near one of the small tables, had an alarming habit of kicking the table leg every few minutes. Seriously. It was as if she was using her Dark Boots. Allen wouldn't be surprised if she could sleep-fight.

He could understand Lavi; the taller boy was awake too, clearly annoyed by the two noisy Chinese exorcists.

"I'm so glad I have my own room back at the Order," Allen tiredly mused as Lavi nodded in understanding.

And so, it was perhaps due to their lack of sleep that Lavi and Allen were half-heartedly dragging their feet across Crocus's beautiful sidewalk.

"We-we-we're here," said Lavi, failing to stifle a huge yawn when they finally arrived on Carnival Street. Allen recognized the flower beds. For some odd reason, the street was still deserted.

"_Gooooooooood morninnnnnnnnng~!_" A familiar voice from right behind them made them jump.

There he was, the legendary referee and mascot of the Games, in his cape and witch-like hat, not to mention with his giant pumpkin head.

He noticed the forum in Allen's gloved hand.

"Fantaaaaaaaaastic! You've brought the forum!"

_I should tell him why he's forcing us to enter,_ Allen thought, _but now I'm too tired to argue..._

He deliberately passed over the forum; the small pumpkin took it happily.

"Thankssssss-pum!"

Lavi looked at the strange creature as it skimmed over the guild forum. Allen could see that he was impressed. Or shocked. Or maybe both.

"Fantaaaaaastic!" The pumpkin said happily again, having finished looking over the forum. "I'll send this in right away~! Love the guild name! Oh, your names are?"

"Allen and Lavi."

Looking down at the paper again, the pumpkin said, "Yes, yes, yes! Mr. Allen Walker and Mr. Lavi..." Apparently he failed to find Lavi's surname, "... Lavi? Well, anyway, congratulations on entering the Games! Here's your rule book." He passed over a heavy book they didn't notice before to Lavi.

"Rule book?"

"You must read them all!" The pumpkin referee cried.

"_All of them?_" Allen looked stupefied at the heavy book in Lavi's hands.

"This whole book is full of rules?" Lavi murmured. He looked down at the happy-go-lucky pumpkin. "The Games start tomorrow, right?"

"Yesss-pum! But be sure to head back to your rooms tonight before midnight!" The pumpkin warned. "Anyway, I'm glad you're participating! If you didn't — well, it would've been boring watching in the audience!"

"Eh?" Allen and Lavi blinked. "_Hold on just a second_..."

"Oops! Gotta go! People are coming! Good luck! I'll see you at the Games!" And with that, the legendary pumpkin mascot was gone.

* * *

**Crocus Time - 8:30AM**

* * *

"... g-guys... we're finally here..." A dead-looking pink-haired figure collapsed on the ground, surrounded by his friends. "And yet we still don't feel well?!"

"Ultear's power... it's scary..." Lucy groaned.

"But did it really work? The power to unleash the Second Origin? I don't feel any different," Gray muttered.

"I feel like my magic is increasing... but then again I'm in a hell lot of pain." Lucy groaned again.

"Yeesh."

They looked up to see a perfectly well-looking Erza glaring down at them.

"You people are pathetic," she said.

"Erza's looking well..."

"She probably had her Second Origin all along..."

Natsu groggily looked up. "But still, I've never been to a town this huge before!"

"Aye! Me eitherrr!"

"It's bigger than the town in Edolas..."

"Look who finally made it!"

Team Natsu stood up and turned around to find their Master, Shadow Gear, Bisca, Alzack and their daughter Asuka.

"I took care of the entry paperwork," Makarov told them, Asuka sitting happily on his shoulders, "all that's left is to show me the power of Fairy Tail!"

"F-Fairy Tail?" someone in the square cried out loud. "Hey, did you hear that? Fairy Tail's back again!"

"Oh, those losers that always get last place?" Another person laughed out loud.

Natsu's hands balled up into fists. "Who just laughed?!" he snarled, looking around the square.

"Be quiet," Erza said sternly to Natsu, as the first guy spoke again.

"Hey, aren't you worried that you'll be in last place again this year?"

"Sabertooth is gonna take first place again!"

"Don't listen to them," Makarov said, "let 'em laugh. Now, listen up. We're aiming to be the number one in Fiore! The competition begins tomorrow, but I don't know what it is."

"But Fairy Tail's been in the Games before, right?" Natsu asked.

Bisca and Alzack explained that it changes every year. "We have no idea what they'll do this year, though," they said.

"So, Erza" — Makarov placed a heavy book into her hands — "make sure to read all the rules in there by tonight."

Erza looked down nervously. "A-All of it?"

Levy offered to skim through it with her Wing Glasses.

"There's just five basic rules," she explained after closing the book, and she listed them.

"Wow. Pretty straightforward," Gray mused.

"So we have to be back by midnight?! That's a lot of time! I'm gonna go exploring!" Natsu dashed off.

"Aye! Let's go, Lucy!"

"H-hey!" Erza cried at her three retreating guild mates, "remember, we're staying at the Honeybone Inn!"

* * *

**Crocus Time - 9:46AM**

* * *

Lucy thought they were exploring, but she was sadly mistaken.

She watched awkwardly as Natsu and Happy practically went up to every white-haired and red-haired person.

"What are you doing?" she asked exasperatedly, after a little red-haired girl shrieked and ran off, "I thought we were exploring?"

"We are!"

Lucy sighed. "You're looking for Allen and Lavi, right?"

Natsu whipped around. "You found them?!"

"No." The blonde sighed as they continued walking around. "Listen, Natsu, we can't get sidetracked. The Games are tomorrow, plus Jellal said something about a mysterious source around the arena—"

"So I won't get sidetracked. But I wanna look for 'em."

"Natsu's reaaaaaally stubborn!" Happy unnecessarily commented.

"Why are you so determined to search for them, Natsu? I know how you feel, but..."

The Dragon Slayer stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Maybe it's weird that I've only known them for a day... but somehow..." he trailed off.

"Somehow...?" Lucy urged him on.

He grinned. "It feels as if we were always friends. Anyway, I'm not gonna let my hopes up, but I'm still gonna search for them... I'm sure they have a reason..."

Lucy watched him, impressed. _Natsu really does cherish his friends,_ she thought with a smile.

"Lucy, you have a bug on you!" Happy cried.

"EEEEEK, WHERE, WHERE?!" The stellar spirit mage swung around widely, hitting a short-haired girl who was behind her with her elbow.

"_Whoa, Lucy, you really did it!_" Both Natsu and Happy cried in unison as the girl fell down.

"_AHHHHH I'm so so so soooo sorry_!" Lucy cried, nearly going hysterical as the girl got up shakily.

"D-Don't worry about it." she smiled at Lucy.

"Are you sure?! Your head—!" Lucy exclaimed as a huge bruise appeared on the girl's forehead.

"I'm sure it's fine," the girl assured her, but before Lucy could say or do anything, the girl took off hurriedly.

Lucy scowled at a particular Exceed. "_Thanks to you.._."

"N-N-Natsu... Lucy's scary..."

"C-Crap! Let's run for it, Happy!"

"Aye!"

"YOU DAMN CAT! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!?"

* * *

**Crocus Time - 10:13AM**

* * *

Allen yawned.

"I can't believe he tricked us! I seriously thought we were going to get kicked out of Crocus... Actually, now that I think about it, isn't that illegal?" Allen yawned again. "No good... I'm still tired," he said to Lavi, who was reading the rule book at an extreme pace.

"Whoa, Lavi, that's amazing..."

"Ain't it? That's my real skill." Lavi looked up, and Allen nearly jumped when he saw the humongous shadow underneath his friend's eye.

"Y-You need to sleep, Lavi..."

"Can't. I've got... 417 pages left..."

"Why can't I read it?" Allen demanded, as the red-haired exorcist turned to page 68.

"'Cause it'll take you a week to finish the book."

"Are you underestimating me?"

"Hmm... probably... but I'm right, aren't I?"

"... Yeah," Allen replied, looking defeated.

"Participants must have their guild insignia in order to participate," Lavi announced.

"Oh yeah, you and the others have to stamp the mark on..."

"What!?" Lavi cried, flipping to the next page. "This is a huge ass long description... Wait... " he flipped ahead. "Rule number three is on page 298!"

"So that means... up to page 298... the pages you've been reading past page 14 is the description for rule number two?" Allen asked as Lavi let out a noise in exasperation.

"_What a waste of time!_" The taller boy cried, chucking the book into Allen's hands. "Here, be my guest."

"Thanks." Allen skipped ahead to page 298. "Rule number three : 'Guild Masters cannot participate.' Well I figured Bak-san wouldn't be much help."

"You're really dark, Allen." Lavi glanced up ahead. "Oh, it's Lenal — holy shit what happened to her head?!"

"Wha —" Allen stopped reading and glanced up. To his bizarre bewilderment, Lenalee was dashing towards them, a purple-ish bump on her forehead.

"Allen-kun! Lavi!" The Chinese exorcist panted. She looked exhausted from running.

"L-Lenalee, what happened to your forehead?" Allen asked bewilderingly.

"Huh?" The older girl felt around her bangs. "That's weird... I thought it was just a bruise... although my forehead feels a bit heavy..."

"_Just a bruise?! You think your head gained a few pounds because of a bruise?_!" Lavi looked at her incredulously. "Komui's not gonna be happy— actually, to think of it, he'll probably beat the crap out of us," he added as Allen groaned.

Lenalee rolled her eyes. "What're you saying? Komui-niisan is just being ridiculous. You guys didn't even hit me."

"Who did?" The green-eyed boy asked, wincing as he looked at Lenalee's big bump.

Lenalee shrugged. "I just bumped into a girl and she accidentally elbowed me. It's no big deal."

"_A girl?_! She must have some manly elbows to make a bump like that," Lavi murmured as Lenalee kept touching the bump.

"Don't touch it," Allen said sharply, gently yanking her arm away, "it'll just bring on infection and" — he shuddered when Lenalee turned her head towards him — "it's not very comfortable to look at. Let's go to Bak-san, he'll patch it up."

"Unless he wants to get electrified again," Lavi muttered darkly, eyeing Lenalee's metal bracelet.

"Well, just leave it alone for the time being."

The trio started making their way back to their inn.

"There's a lot of people here," Lavi murmured, eyeing the large amount of people occupied in the street, "most of them must be participating."

Allen made an odd noise. He still wasn't confident about the Games.

"So, Lenalee, you were looking for us?"

"Yeah. Bak-san, Kanda and Marie were just hanging around the inn, so I got bored." Lenalee shrugged. She saw the book in the white-haired exorcist's hands. "What's that?"

"Rulebook... it's a pain to read though."

"Sweet! So we got in?!"

"You're awfully excited about this." Allen smiled at the older girl.

"Why wouldn't I be? It's kinda cool! Oh, did you guys have breakfast yet? The breakfast bar is open," said Lenalee.

"Good. I'm starving."

"It's not free, Allen-kun."

* * *

**Crocus Time - 11:08PM**

* * *

"Man, they have a lot of flowers here!" Natsu exclaimed, staring around. "No wonder it's called the 'blooming capital'!"

"It really is big though," Lucy agreed.

Natsu's ears perked up when someone nearby shouted "A fight!"

"Whoa, did 'cha hear that, Happy, Lucy?! You can't have a festival without a fight! Where it is?" he cried, an evil smirk playing on his lips. "This is what I was expecting with all the guilds of Fiore gathering here!" He and Happy zoomed off towards a big crowd down the block.

"Natsu, wait!" Lucy called after him.

"Natsu, we're leaving Lucy behind!" The blue Exceed told his partner.

But Natsu wasn't listening. "Huh? That's weird." The Dragon Slayer sniffed. "This smell..."

"What about it, Natsu?" Happy asked.

"It smells like a dragon's... Hey, move it!" Finally amongst the big crowd, the fire mage shoved the people aside, trying to get to the front.

"Ow! Watch where you're going!" A man hissed as Natsu accidentally stepped on his foot.

"Whoa, sorry man."_ I need to get to the front... Gah, guess I'll hafta crawl..._

As Natsu dropped down onto his stomach and tried to crawl his way to the front, he deliberately heard voices.

"These guys are so weak!"

"Fro thinks so too!"

"What the heck?" Natsu muttered. He finally crawled his way to the front and stopped at the sight before him.

"_You!_" Two boys at the front exclaimed, looking shocked at the sight of Natsu on the ground. "_Natsu Dragneel!_"

"Huh?"

* * *

Bak Chang glanced at the clock hanging in room 281.

"An hour to midnight," he announced.

"I wonder why the referee said to be back by midnight? Is something happening?" Allen asked, chomping on a bar of chocolate.

"I hope not," Lavi muttered, sitting on the floor with Allen, "I'd like my sleep."

"Today was pretty tiring wasn't it?" Lenalee asked. Her big bump was now patched up (the lady at the breakfast bar was actually _kind _enough to help after seeing how much distress Lenalee was in). She, Allen, and Lavi had eaten at the breakfast bar then made their way to the hill where Allen and Lavi had once encountered the akuma, spending most of the day there by reading the rule book.

Bak took out the stamp tool. "Walker, you've been stamped, so if Lavi and everyone else could..."

Allen watched as his four guild mates excitedly stamp their guild mark on (well, Kanda was scowling all the while).

"This is so cool!" Lenalee squealed. Her green mark was on her right thigh.

Lavi placed his red mark on his left hand. "Wow. Kinda like a tattoo, but fast and painless."

Allen burst out laughing. "Lavi, you placed your mark upside down."

_"What?! Oh shit!"_

Kanda, holding the stamp tool that Marie passed him, looked confused. "Which way are you suppose to stamp it?" he asked impatiently, not wanting to repeat Lavi's mistake.

"The red handle is suppose to point downwards," Allen replied.

The samurai exorcist did what Allen instructed and a few moments later, there was a blue mark on his right shoulder.

"Thanks," he said nonchalantly to Allen, throwing the stamp tool at him.

"Oh. You're welcome...?" Allen caught the tool, surprised. Kanda was hardly ever friendly with him. A "thanks" from him was a first.

"Kanda's in a friendly-ish mood today," Allen whispered to a grinning Lavi, when Kanda's back was turned.

"Yeah. He was really happy when the lady downstairs at the bar said that soba was on the menu. He hasn't eaten soba in like what, three months?" Lavi snickered quietly.

"Eh... that's why."

Everyone was silent for awhile. Bak was absentmindedly doodling on a piece of paper, Kanda was polishing Mugen, Marie was playing with a piece of string, Allen and Lavi were trying to build a castle out of chocolate bars, and Lenalee was doing some stretching exercises.

"30 minutes till midnight," Lavi announced, glaring at the clock. "I don't feel energetic... Allen, pass me a bar."

Bak watched as the white-haired boy passed Lavi a chocolate bar. "I'm kinda curious about this midnight thing myself," he said thoughtfully, putting his pen down. "But it's probably only for the five participants."

"It is stated in the rules," said Allen, crumbling up a bar wrapper.

Bak frowned at the rule book that was placed on the table. He picked it up. "What are the rules?"

"Page 14 is rule number one, page 68 is rule number two, page 298 is rule number three, page 355 is rule number four, and page 402 is rule number five," said Lavi, munching on his chocolate bar.

"Amazing, Lavi."

"Ain't it? Gramps never praises me."

"Because you're always either busy staring at girls or slacking off," Allen said teasingly, as Lenalee laughed and Bak smirked.

"I do not!" Lavi cried, amid hearty sniggers.

* * *

**Crocus Time - 11:52PM**

* * *

Back at the Honeybone Inn, Erza Scarlet was pacing around her room, huffing and puffing all the while.

She stared at the clock. "They're late!"

She groaned and sat down on her bed. Never again was she going to trust Lucy, Natsu, Wendy and Gray for being punctual. Not to mention those Exceeds too! Happy she could understand since he went everywhere with Natsu, but she was disappointed in Carla! Good grief!

She heard them coming.

"Okay, how's this for an excuse? I could say I broke my watch — " Gray's panicky whisper was clearly heard through the door.

"Erza won't buy that!" Next came Lucy's hissing, "you don't even have a watch anyway!"

"I know!" Natsu this time. "I could say I was late because I was trying to look for the most beautiful flowers to give he — "

"MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS MY ASS!" Erza wrenched opened the door to find three guilty people present. _"Get inside!"_

The three scurried hastily into the room as Erza shut the door, sat down again on her bed and snarled, "Where the hell were you?!"

Gray spoke first. "Well... I had dinner that was no fun..."

"And we got into this argument with some people... Or I think we started it," Lucy mumbled.

Natsu and Happy were shaking with rage.

"GAHHHHHH I'M NOT GONNA LET THEM GET AWAY WITH THISSSSSS!"

"AYEE!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"Y-yes ma'am..."

Erza looked at her cowering teammates. "Where's Wendy and Carla?"

"She's not back yet?" Lucy looked back at the door, as if hoping to see the little Dragon Slayer bursting in.

"She's late," said Gray.

"I'm sure Carla is with her, so she's not lost!" said Happy.

"But it's nearly midnight."

Lucy clasped a trembling hand to her mouth. "That little girl is out this late by herself..."

The door suddenly opened.

"Wend — Oh, Lisanna? Elfman?"

* * *

"Five minutes to midnight," Lavi announced, watching his and Allen's chocolate bar castle falling down.

"I'm kinda scared," said Lenalee, "what if it turns out to be a battle competition or something?"

"I thought the Games _were_ battle competitions," mused Allen.

"But hey, it's our first time using our Innocence in battles," Lavi piped up.

Allen looked at the Asian Head, who was busy eyeing the clock. "Bak-san? Can we really use our Innocence in duels? I mean, Innocence are mainly used on akumas, so using them on humans won't really have the same effect, would it?"

"In terms of freeing akumas' souls, no, but it does have the same effect if you get attacked," Bak replied.

"What do you mean?" Allen asked curiously.

"For example, if you were to attack Lavi using Crown Clown, it would still do massive damage, regardless of whether he's an akuma or a human. But Lavi's not full of dark matter, so you can't really 'free' him," Bak explained.

"Oh, I see..."

"Three minutes," Lavi said tensely.

Having finished polishing his Mugen, Kanda got up and sheathed it.

Allen felt a pang somewhere in his stomach that had nothing to do with the fifty or so chocolate bars he ate. Soon, he would meet Natsu... unless he was participating, of course.

"Yuu, make sure you don't kill anyone!"

"I'm gonna kill _you_!" Kanda snarled.

"Hey, hey, I was just joking — we're teammates, man," Lavi said hastily.

Allen stared at the clock as Kanda made a retort.

A minute left...

Everyone was silent. Too silent. Allen could hear his own heartbeat.

52 seconds...

Lavi was positioning his hammer.

43 seconds...

Lenalee was nervously looking out at the window.

34 seconds...

Bak's hives were forming...

26 seconds...

Kanda was scowling, crossing his arms as Marie waited patiently.

10 seconds...

Allen's heartbeat was too loud, too fast...

3... 2... 1 —

The clock began to chime.

* * *

**Crocus Time - 12:00AM**

* * *

_"Everyone in the guilds who have gathered for the Grand Magic Games, good morning~!"_

"That voice —!" Both Allen and Lavi dashed towards the balcony. Lavi pulled open the door and everyone burst outside, staring.

There was a projection of the legendary referee and mascot, hovering in mid-air, talking.

"What the hell is that?!" Lavi cried, as the people across Crocus exclaimed and cheered.

"It's a three-dimensional image..." Allen muttered.

_"Beginning now,_" the projection went on, _"we're going to take the 114 participating teams and have an elimination round to narrow it down to 8!"_

"Elimination round? That makes sense, when you have 114 teams participating..." Bak murmured.

"But we didn't hear anything about an elimination round!" Allen was now panicky, "what if we don't get in?!"

"114 guilds... damn, that's a lot." Even Lavi was looking strained.

The mascot continued, hopping around in his projection. _"Every year the number of participating guilds increases, and it was pointed that the events were getting stale. This year, there will only be eight official teams participating in the Games."_ He whipped out a finger. _"The elimination rules are simple!"_

There was a sudden movement, like an earthquake quaking.

"W-what's going on?!" Allen cried, holding onto the door as everything around him started shaking.

"The ground's moving!" Lenalee gasped.

"No!" Bak shouted, "look down! The inn is transforming!"

"_What?_! No wonder we're getting higher!" Lavi yelped as the building grew taller in height.

"It's not just us!" Kanda growled. He pointed at the other inns that seemed to be transforming.

_"All of you are going to race each other,"_ the pumpkin announced, _"the goal is the Games's arena, Domus Flau. The first eight teams to arrive there will go on."_

A path suddenly seemed to form out of nowhere in front of the exorcists.

"W-what? We have to walk on this?!" Allen cried weakly.

_"You're free to use your magic. There are no restrictions. But remember, only the first eight teams to arrive at the goal will survive this round. However, all five members must arrive together or it doesn't count! And one more thing!"_ — the pumpkin suddenly sounded serious — _"we take no responsibility for any lives lost in the labyrinth."_

"Labyrinth?!" Lavi, Allen, and Lenalee gasped.

Right behind the projection in the sky, was the most humongous and complicated labyrinth Allen had ever seen.

_"Grand Magic Games... Sky Labyrinth, begin!"_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer : **The usual. Don't own FT or DGM.

* * *

Chapter Nine

* * *

As the hologram of the pumpkin disappeared, cheers and yells erupted all over Crocus. Participants from their inns took off towards the gigantic labyrinth, shouting out battle cries as the townspeople from below cheered them on.

Natsu Dragneel grinned cockily. He cracked his knuckles.

"It's now or never!" he called to Erza, Lucy, and Gray, "let's get through this giant thing so we can kick Sabertooth's ass!"

"If this is a race, we better get going," Gray agreed.

"_Hold on just a second!_" Erza interrupted. "He said 'All five participants must arrive together.' We're missing Wendy."

Natsu gaped like an idiot. "_Noooooooo, Wendy!_"

"Wait!" A large figure stepped forward. "You have me!"

"_E-Elfman!_"

* * *

"If this is a race, we better get going," said Lavi, bouncing forward towards the pathway that was formed a mere seconds ago. Streaks of multi-colored magic flashed around the labyrinth; some of the 114 guilds had already entered.

"Hold on just a second," Bak cut in, "I have something to tell all of you."

"What is it?" Allen asked.

"While you're all in there, I don't want you getting into fights with any other guilds," Bak told them, although he was looking pointedly at Kanda. "Best avoid it if you can. You don't know how dangerous the magic is in this dimension." He paused. "It could be more powerful than your Innocence."

"Don't worry, Bak-san, we won't go over the top," Lavi promised.

"We'll just focus on getting to the goal," Lenalee piped in.

Bak still didn't look convinced.

"Walker?" he asked, turning to Allen, who nodded at once.

"It's just as Lavi and Lenalee say. You have our word."

"All right. But to be on the safe side... Kanda, you have your golem with you, right?" Kanda nodded. Bak turned back to Allen. "If anything goes wrong, or if you need advice or help or whatever it is, contact me. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"All right then. Go out there and put my creativity to use! The name 'Apostles' must not go to waste! You better make it into the top eight!" Bak cried, as Allen, Lavi, and Lenalee burst out laughing and Kanda scowled.

The Chinese man watched as the five exorcists took off towards the labyrinth ahead, all of them running at a fast pace with Lenalee in the lead. He could even hear Lavi yelling "_Team Apostles!_" and grinned.

There was a sudden vibration in one of his jacket pockets and a few moments later, a black golem ascended out into the air. There was the usual static sound and a voice on the other line spoke.

"_Bak?_" Komui sounded worn out.

"About time, Komui."

Komui sighed. "_Sorry. I just had a long talk with someone from the Vatican... How's it going on your side? Where's Lenalee and the rest?_"

The Head of the Asian Branch smirked.

"They went to kick some ass."

* * *

It was like an odd twist of Wonderland — in the sky. Inside the labyrinth were thousands of strange-like objects of irregular shape hovering in mid-air, long heavy staircases that were the size of gigantic rectangles, moving floors that, if you weren't careful, could slip through and fall, doors that took you to another world, and huge metal-like gears that could cut you if you got close.

But the bizarreness didn't stop there. The worst part about the labyrinth was the fact that it was also _upside down_. You could be walking up a staircase and suddenly fall down out of nowhere.

In this labyrinth, things like "the inside of a machine", "crazy wonderland", and "bizarre world" come to mind. To put it simply, this labyrinth is —

"A three-dimensional maze," Allen muttered, the second they stepped foot into the labyrinth and the exorcists looked around bewilderingly. There was no sight of another guild yet.

Lavi rubbed his eye wearily. "The – the inside looks so complicated..."

"It's going to be hard navigating our way to the goal," Lenalee added worriedly. She looked at Lavi. "The event grounds are in the east, right?"

"Yeah, but we can't just head east straight-on, I mean, look at the place" — Lavi waved his hands around — "you'd have to know a lot of geography in situations like these..."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Allen asked nervously, as there was a battle-like cry echoing somewhere in the maze.

There was a gleam in Lavi's eye. "Make a map," he announced.

"Make a map?" Allen's heart sank. He was absolutely terrible when it came to geography.

"Don't tell me we have to freakin' take notes," Kanda snapped at Lavi. "This place is confusing as hell."

Lavi laughed uneasily. "I'm not telling _you guys_ to make a map! Let me do the honors."

Allen eyed him hopefully. "But can you really make a map out of this entire labyrinth?"

"Sure I can. Just gimme a — "

"Hold it," Marie suddenly cut in, raising a hand to silence Lavi. "I can hear someone coming..."

"A guild?" Kanda asked urgently. Allen could see his hands itching to unsheathe Mugen.

But Kanda's question was answered for him.

" — men! Behold the powerful smell of victory!" a man's voice nearby spoke.

There was a sudden patter of footsteps.

"Where're the voices coming from?" Lenalee whispered, as the footsteps echoed eerily around them and three new voices spoke, but no one appeared.

"Good job, Ichiya-san, Eve, Ren," said an excited voice. "With this, we'll surely make it into the top eight in no time."

"This is way too easy," a cool voice spoke, with a hint of a smirk in his voice. "I thought it would've been much more harder than this..."

Allen and Lavi looked at each other, bemused. Both of them jumped, however, when a door two blocks away opened and five new people trotted out : one was a very short man with orange hair and an unattractive face, the other three, beautiful and handsome young men, and for some very odd reason, there was a pink rabbit in the group.

They stopped at the sight of Allen and the others.

The short man let out an exclaim. "How lucky are we, men?! Go and take their maps!"

A dark-skinned boy behind the orange-haired man grinned, eyeing Lenalee. "Aw, c'mon, Ichiya-san... that girl is such a cutie though, I'd love to get lucky with her. Not that I'm interested in you or anything," he said cooly, much to everyone's confusion.

Allen, Lavi and even Kanda gulped uneasily, glancing over their shoulders at Lenalee, who cringed, looking disgusted.

A blond-haired boy stepped forward. "We'll be taking your maps!" he called.

"If you don't want to get hurt, I suggest you hand them over," a taller blond added, also giving Lenalee an admiring look.

Kanda smirked. "Sorry to disappoint you, but we don't have any. However" — he suddenly unsheathed Mugen, much to his teammates' surprise — "we'll be taking _yours_."

"Kanda..." Lavi now looked at Kanda with new respect.

"Wait, Kanda," Allen cut in sharply, "you heard Bak-san's orders. We can't fight in here."

Kanda ignored him.

The taller blond looked surprised, but he quickly recovered.

"I didn't want to hurt any of you..." he sighed, "but Blue Pegasus has to win. _Eve!_"

"Got it! _**White Fury!**_" A considerable amount of snowstorm suddenly erupted from Eve's right palm, firing it straight at the exorcists, where all of them managed to hastily dodge out of the way.

"What the hell?! Snow?!" Lavi cried, nearly tripping over his feet.

"Not bad. But see if you can dodge this!" Eve stepped backwards, and the snowstorm grew larger in size, engulfing the exorcists in an icy blast of snow.

"_**Waltz : Mist Wind!**_"

"What the — ?" Eve gasped as a huge tornado erupted out of nowhere, breaking the snowstorm and nearly sending him flying onto the ground.

"Nice, Lenalee!" Lavi cried out, as the tornado cleared.

The members of Blue Pegasus were staring at the exorcists in shock.

"Sh-she took out Eve's snowstorm... with just a kick..." The dark-skinned boy voiced out in an awed voice.

"What magic power, men!" The short man cried. "Men!" he exclaimed again, looking over his shoulders at his teammates, "let me handle this!" he fumbled around in his pockets and took out a tube. "Smell the power of defeat!"

"Like hell I'm gonna let you use that!" Kanda sprinted forwards. "I'm gonna slice up your — what the — ?!"

The samurai exorcist nearly slipped as the floor beneath him began to rotate. Everything was suddenly turning sideways, so that the exorcists and Blue Pegasus were clinging onto objects for dear life.

"W-what's going on?!" cried Allen. He would've fell out of the labyrinth if not for Marie saving him by the hand.

"The labyrinth is spinning on its axis!" Lavi, having being rescued by Lenalee, stared down below, watching as the labyrinth continued to spin, then came to an abrupt stop.

"It – it stopped," said Allen, sounding relieved. Marie pulled him up.

"Thank you, Marie-san."

Kanda, who had stabbed the floor firmly with his Mugen and held onto it, got up, looking disgruntled.

"Tch, they're gone," he said sourly.

Allen looked around. Sure enough, the Blue Pegasus party had disappeared.

"Hey!" Lavi cried out excitedly; a pack of somewhat crumbled papers were in his hands. "They left the maps!"

"How lucky for us!" squealed Lenalee, as Lavi feverishly shuffled through the maps.

The red-haired boy looked up. "I've got a great idea..." His eye was shining.

"Hey, what's this?" Allen picked up a familiar-looking tube that was left on the floor.

"Wait! _Allen, that's —_ !" Lavi and Lenalee let out a bloodcurdling shriek as a pink cloud of perfume exploded right in the white-haired boy's face.

The tube fell to the floor with a clank and Allen coughed.

"W-what happened?" Allen's weak voice cried out. He glanced at Lavi and Lenalee. Both of their mouths were open. Even Kanda looked startled.

"W-what? What's the matter?" The cursed boy was seriously alarmed by the gaping.

"Allen..." Lavi began weakly, "your... your..."

"My...?"

"Your hair... and er, your clothes..."

Bewildered, Allen felt his hair. He frowned. It didn't feel any different... except the fact that it was a bit long... wait... _too_ long...

"OH MY GOD!" He let out a shriek; his hair was now longer than Lenalee's — no, even longer than_ Kanda's._ To add to Allen's mortification, he was wearing a long blue and white dress over his exorcist coat.

Lenalee was trying her hardest not to giggle, and even Kanda couldn't refrain from smirking.

"How do you feel about your new hairstyle now, moyashi? You actually look like a girl in that dress."

"Yeah, I would actually hit on you." Lavi grinned.

"_S-shut up!_" Allen kept feeling his long, white locks and flimsy dress. "This is bad! _Seriously bad!_" he cried, looking panicky. He tried taking out the dress but soon realized it was somehow magically sewn to his coat.

"_I – I can't take it off!_"

Lavi burst out laughing. "Would you look at that? It's _Allen_ in Wonderland!"

"_S-stop laughing_!" Poor Allen cried, as his teammates guffawed.

* * *

"Heh, heh, heh..." Erza had a wicked grin on her face. "This is the 57th map." She passed them over to Gray and Elfman. "Try to combine them with the rest," she ordered.

"Piece of cake," said Gray, after he and Elfman looked through the papers. "We figured out the next route!" he called excitedly.

"Then _let's go let's go let's goooo!_ I wanna get to the goal before Sabertooth does!" Natsu cried.

* * *

"How's this~?"

"M-More! Harder!"

"Like this~?"

There was a disturbing scream and blood gushed out of a man's head. "Y-Yes!"

"Then, I'll take the map now."

"G-Go ahead~"

"That guy is totally a masochist," Lavi muttered under his breath. He and Allen watched as Lenalee came bouncing back, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"This is the 84th one I've got so far!" she announced happily, passing the map to Lavi.

"Meaning that you've beaten the shit out of 84 men," Lavi murmured, eyeing Lenalee's sharp boots.

Allen wondered what Komui's reaction would be if he ever found out that Lenalee had somewhat sadistically beaten up 84 men, and decided to never mention it to him.

Lenalee grinned. "It's not my fault my boots are so heavy..."

Kanda grunted. "Can we move on? Did you figure out the next route, usagi?" he glared at Lavi.

"Yep. We're nearly at the goal." Lavi turned to Allen. There was a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"You wanna beat up the next guy and get the map, Allen-chan~?"

The air was suddenly full of Lavi's screams.

* * *

A small tiny figure with a giant pumpkin head stood at the goal, yawning widely.

"I'm bored..." he said to no one, scratching his huge head, looking lonely.

There was a loud clattering of footsteps. The mascot looked up eagerly to see five participants bursting towards the goal.

"Ooh, they're here!" The pumpkin jumped up and down ecstatically. "Congratulations!" he exclaimed at the smug-looking participants, "you've passed the preliminary event~!"

"YEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!" Natsu let out a whoop as he and Lucy high-fived.

"Everything's going smoothly," said Gray, grinning widely.

"Are we the first one?" Lucy asked the mascot, who was still hopping around joyfully.

"Not really. You're number 8. You just barely made it."

* * *

**First Day : July 1st, X791**

* * *

Balloons, confetti, magic fireworks and thousands of cheers erupted all over the Games' arena, Domus Flau. The atmosphere was just boiling with excitement.

"That's some cheering," Erza commented.

Team Fairy Tail were waiting inside the hallway that lead out to the arena. Since the entrance goes by from last place to first place, Fairy Tail had to make the first entrance, being last place.

"I didn't realize there were so much people here..." Lucy listened to the cheering of the hundreds of people. She and Gray peered around the edge of the giant entrance.

"Both including Fiore mages and regular spectators, it seems," Gray added.

Natsu was looking down distastefully at his purple Games outfit. "Y'know guys, I really don't like this outfit..."

"It's too late to whine about it now!" Lucy scolded. "Master said we had to wear matching team colors; it can't be helped."

Erza smirked. "I like mine. It's cute."

"Me too," Gray chipped in.

"Gray, say that after you put some clothes on..."

Elfman picked up Wendy's outfit. It was terribly tiny for him. "I – I have to wear this...?"

Natsu laughed gleefully. "That's greeeat!"

"Of course there's no way you'll fit into Wendy's outfit, your body has gotten bigger..." Gray looked Elfman up and down.

Elfman sighed. "I was really happy being able to fill in, but is Wendy alright?"

They were all silent, remembering the night before, when Wendy was taken into the infirmary.

"Is the person who attacked Wendy connected to this tournament?" Natsu asked.

"It's quite possible," Lucy replied.

"Is someone trying to weaken us? Or — ?"

"All we can do is focus on the Games!" Elfman cut in, after throwing on a purple shirt. "We gotta do our best, for Wendy's sake too!"

* * *

_"All right, in just a few moments, the curtains will rise on the Grand Magic Games!" _A man with shiny black hair and a black suit announced to the cheering audience._ "I'm your emcee, Chapati Lola, and former Council member, Yajima-san, will provide the commentary!_" An elderly man with a chef hat sat next to him.

Chapati Lola continued, _"And I'd like to introduce our guest for Day One, the current Miss Fiore, Blue Pegasus' Jenny Realight!"_

Jenny put on a winning smile to her fanboys in the crowd. "We're going to win this year!" she exclaimed.

Back in the hallway, Natsu Dragneel braced himself.

"All right," he said, "let's go!"

Team Fairy Tail slowly walked out into the arena.

_"Okay, the players are about to take the field! Starting with the eighth-ranked team! Can they recapture their old glory?! Contrary to their name, let's welcome the rowdy FAIRY TAILLLLLLLLL!"_

Natsu, Erza, Lucy, Gray, and Elfman stood proud and tall in the centre of the arena, their hands raised in triumph as the guild mark of Fairy Tail flashed around the arena.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Many spectators exclaimed, most of them giving Natsu and the others a thumbs-down.

"Whaaaaat?!"

"Are they booing us?!" Gray cried.

_"Fairy Tail has come in last place every year,"_ the emcee began, _"but they survived the elimination round, although they were still eighth place. Will the Tenrou-bunch help Fairy Tail become number No.1 in Fiore?!"_

"Don't let it get to you," Erza told the others, as the booing still continued.

Yajima eagerly gave a thumbs-up. "I'm just glad they're back," he said.

"LET'S START CHEERING THEM ONNNNNNNNN!" The entire guild of Fairy Tail cheered as Makarov Dreyar let out an exclaim. "HOORAY, HOORAY, FAIRY TAIL~!"

"Hey, isn't that...?" Team Fairy Tail gaped at their guild in the audience; a young woman with blonde hair was also cheering for them.

"HAHAHA, what a relief to see the 1st Master cheering us on!" Natsu laughed as Mavis was talking to a bewildered Makarov.

"Even if she is a ghost," Gray added.

Chapati Lola spoke again. _"All right! Next, let's welcome the 7th-ranked team, the bright blue wings that sparkle in the dark, BLUE PEGASUSSSSSSSSSS!"_

_"What?!"_ Lucy and Erza cried, as the Blue Pegasus guild insignia was flashed around and the audience burst out angry exclaims, boos and murmurings.

"Blue Pegasus is 7th this year!?" Gray asked, as Hibiki, Ren, Eve, the mysterious rabbit and Ichiya came out and sheepishly struck their guild pose, earning more boos.

_"Quite an unexpected fall,"_ said the emcee, as Jenny looked dumbstruck, _"but they survived the elimination round."_

"Ugh. Jenny won't even look at me," Hibiki muttered.

"Men! My honey won't even look at me either!" Ichiya sobbed, as Erza carefully avoided his gaze.

"It's your fault for losing those maps when we fell through the door," Ren said to Hibiki sourly.

"Now, now, at least we made it..." Eve said consolingly.

_"Moving on, in sixth place, the all-female guild, the dancers of the great deep, MERMAID HEEEEEEL!"_ The pink M insignia was waved all around the arena to loud cheers.

"HO~LYYYYYYY~!" Almost every adult male in the audience swooned as Mermaid Heel came out.

"I didn't know a guild like that existed!" Happy cried from the audience as catcalls were whistled around the stadium.

_"Next up, let's welcome a first-timer guild! Fifth place, those chosen by God, the APOSTLESSSSSSSSS!"_

"Those chosen by God?" Gray said suspiciously as a black A intertwined with a cross guild mark was flashed around to the roars of the audience.

"WALKERRRRRRRRR! LAVIIIII! LENALEE-CHANNNNNN, KANDAAAAA, MARIEEEEEEE! KICK THEIR ASSES!" Everyone turned around to see a blond-haired man in the audience wearing a beret and waving around a huge flag.

"Kick our asses?! Hah, he must be — wait, did he just say Lavi?" Natsu asked Gray, looking bemused.

"It can't be — we – we just misheard him, right?" Gray replied, as Team Apostles entered the field.

_"Wow, would you look at that?! Matching team coats! That's some team spirit!"_ The emcee cried. _"Apostles was a new guild that was formed this year and approved as a legal guild! To survive the elimination round in fifth place, quite impressive!"_ he announced, and the audience wildly cheered and applauded.

"That guild has matching team colors and coats!" said Elfman, eyeing the red and black coats. "So much more manly than ou — h-hey, where are you going!?" he asked Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Erza, who suddenly all charged at two boys that came out.

"N-Natsu-sa — ACK!"

"Gra — Erz — GAH!"

The whole arena was suddenly in an instant uproar.

_"I – I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Team Fairy Tail is suddenly attacking two Apostles members!"_ The emcee cried, nearly flying out of his chair at the sudden attack.

"WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING?!" Makarov Dreyar and Bak Chang cried from their seats at the same time.

Erza was beating up Lavi with Gray's help while Natsu and Lucy were tackling Allen.

"ERZA! NATSU! GRAY! LUCY! STOOOOOP!" Makarov cried as Mavis gasped. Two Fiore guards had ran out into the field as the other guilds, Kanda, Marie and Lenalee watched in alarm.

"WALKER, LAVI, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! YOU'RE SUPPOSE TO KICK THEIR ASSES! NOT LET THEM KICK YOURS!" Bak yelled as the arena was full of Lavi and Allen's screams.

Team Fairy Tail suddenly stopped beating the two exorcists to a pulp when the guards came.

"That's payback." smirked Natsu, Gray, Erza and Lucy, "for ditching us."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer :** I don't own FT or DGM.

* * *

Chapter Ten

* * *

_"Good Lord! Never in all my times being an emcee of the Games have I seen a participating team pull that kind of stunt!"_ Chapati Lola yelled as the audience whispered and gasped.

"THOSE IDIOTS!" Makarov burst out, looking furious. "ARE THEY TRYING TO GET US DISQUALIFIED?!"

"It wasn't a very smart move..." Mavis began, "but they looked badass!" she said brightly, giving Makarov a thumbs-up. "Good choice on selecting those four, 3rd Master!"

"_Are you serious, 1st Masterrrr?!_"

Natsu and the others were busily talking to the guards, who were looking highly displeased.

"C'mon! You can't disqualify us!" The Dragon Slayer was saying to the first guard; he looked at the beat-up Allen on the ground. "They're stronger than us! They were fifth place while we were last!"

"I have to agree. It may looked like we've beat the crap out of them but they're much stronger. A punch like this" — Erza whacked Lavi in the head again — "won't even hurt them!"

"_Won't even hurt them?!_ For God's sake, he has a nosebleed!" The second guard cried as a trail of blood flowed out of Lavi's nostrils.

"No. He's just having a nosebleed because I turn him on," Erza said firmly as the second guard looked incredulous.

"Please say something!" The first guard turned to Kanda and Marie. Lenalee was paralyzed with shock. "They attacked your teammates, surely you want them to be disqualified?!"

Kanda shrugged. "Those two can rot to death for all I care," he replied, and the guard looked stupefied.

Natsu let out a gleeful exclaim. "HAH! See? Even he doesn't care! So you can't disqualify us 'cause he doesn't want you to!"

"_That's not what he said!_" The guard cried.

"C'mon, mister!" cried Lucy, "we came this far; you can't eliminate us! We can't let our guild down!"

"Then please explain why you attacked them!"

Team Fairy Tail looked stumped, but to their surprise, Allen and Lavi interrupted.

"You can't disqualify them. They didn't seriously harm us," Allen said firmly, rubbing his head as he and Lavi got up.

"Yeah, it's just their way of a friendly prank. Plus, she's right" — Lavi grinned at Erza, wiping his nose — "she _does_ turn me on."

The Fairy Tail group was lost for words as the guards looked at each other and nodded.

"All right. We're going to resume the inauguration. However, do any more of these pranks again and you _will_ be disqualified," they said sternly to Natsu and the others, who nodded at once.

The guards left.

"Allen, Gravy — thanks!" Natsu gave the exorcists a toothy grin. "You really saved our asses."

"Yeah, we owe you," Gray added. "But why are you guys here?" he asked.

"No time for that now!" Elfman suddenly appeared. "Sorry to interrupt, but we have to get back into our positions," he told his teammates, "the rest of the other teams are coming out."

"All righty! Tell us everything later!" Natsu called to the two exorcists as he and the others trotted back to their places.

Lavi and Allen grinned.

"That was a very painful greeting." Lavi winced a bit.

"This isn't how I planned our reunion," said Allen. He was still rubbing his head. "Thank goodness Lucy-san and Natsu-san didn't go all out on me."

"Luckyyyyy...Why did I get Erza and Gray? They went hardcore on me." Lavi's nose was still bleeding.

The red-haired boy noticed his friend cautiously scanning the hundred thousands of people.

"No akuma?"

"Nope. And I just realized something... where's Wendy-san? She's not participating?" Allen was looking at Team Fairy Tail. The little Dragon Slayer was replaced by Elfman.

"Change of plans, maybe?" said Lavi.

They walked back to Kanda and the rest.

"Allen-kun... Lavi... that was horrifying..." Lenalee was still shocked. "Are you two okay?"

Kanda scowled. "You two are lucky they didn't use any magic... then you could've rotten to death..."

"Yuu, you really do think lowly of us..."

"WALKERRRRR! LAVI! ARE YOU OKAY?!" Bak yelled from the audience, where many of the people turned around, annoyed.

"We're all right!" Allen informed him.

"WHAAAAT?!"

"We're fine!"

"WHAAAAAAAT?!

"I said we're fine!"

"YOU'RE BLIND?!"

"WE'RE FINE!"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"For fuck's sake!" Kanda took out the golem from his pocket and yelled, "THEY'RE FINE! NOW CAN YOU FUCKING HEAR?!"

Bak cringed on the other line. "Kanda, watch your language. You didn't have to yell..." They could see Bak wincing in pain in the audience.

"If you want to talk, use the damn golem!"

"— men! Look who it is!"

The exorcists whipped around to see Team Blue Pegasus glaring at them.

"Oh, hey! It's you guys! Thanks for the maps!" Lavi said cheerfully, as Ren scowled at Hibiki.

"I thought I dropped that tube... however, it seems that my efforts failed, men!" Ichiya sobbed.

"Wait, _what?_! You were the one that dropped that tube?! Hey, thanks to you mister, this guy here" — Allen pointed angrily at Kanda — "had to chop off half of my hair and the dress!" he snapped at Ichiya.

"And you should be grateful, you damn moyashi," Kanda muttered. "I have to polish Mugen later; it's full of your ugly hair strands."

"Was my _Magical Girl_ perfume too much for you?" Ichiya did a dramatic pose.

"Yes," Lavi retorted. He pointed at Allen. "You converted this guy into a girl. I nearly had a nosebleed. Thank you." Lavi grinned as Allen cast him a death glare.

_"Ladies and gentlemen!"_ Chapati Lola's voice echoed all around the stadium. _"Forgive us for the delay! I have just spoken with the guards here and it seems that Team Fairy Tail will NOT be getting disqualified!"_

"THANK GOD!" The entire Fairy Tail guild in the audience let out a sigh.

"So I'm still in the running for the 30 million jewels..." Makarov said in a low voice, careful not to let Mavis hear him.

_"Since everything is sorted out, let us continue on! In fourth place, the goddess of love and war, the holy destroyer, LAMIA SCALEEEEEEEEEEE!"_ The spectators let out wild cheers as multi-colored clouds puffed out of nowhere to reveal the said team with their flag waved around.

"Why did you come in fourth, you idiots!" The Lamia Scale Master, an elderly woman, shrieked. "Were you holding back?!"

"That's quite a surprise," said Allen. "Weren't they in second place last year?"

"So they dropped down to 4th, huh?" Lavi said, placing his hands behind his head.

"I'm sorry, Obaba-san!" A pink-haired girl in twin tails called to the elderly woman. "Sorry for letting everyon — KYA!" She tripped onto the ground.

"Who's she?" Natsu asked.

"What happened to her usual 'love' thing?" said Gray.

"Chelia, don't get flustered," Lyon Vastia said to the girl. He turned to Gray.

"Gray, I heard everything on the intercom." He smirked. "Did you really beat up a team? I'm surprised at you. You didn't get disqualified?"

Gray returned the smirk. "None of your business, bastard."

"Don't forget our promise. If we win, Juvia will join us."

"Hm... did we agree on something like that? But we won't lose to you!" Gray grinned.

"Aww, that Chelia girl is so cute," Lavi said brightly.

"When you say 'cute', I hope that means 'adorable cute'. If not... Lavi, please don't hit on a little girl... it looks wrong," Allen said exasperatedly.

"Hehe." The red-haired boy only smiled.

"That guy looks really strong though!" said Lenalee, eyeing Jura from Lamia Scale.

_"Next up, finishing third in the elimination round... Oh, my! What a surprise! Another first-timer guild who made it into the top three! The midnight raider, RAVEN TAILLLLLLLLLL!"_ Five new participants took the field.

"RAVEN TAIL?!" Natsu cried, as the entire Fairy Tail guild gasped and Makarov was caught off guard.

"That's the guild of the Master's son, Ivan..." Erza murmured to Lucy.

"That's kinda suspicious, don't you think?" Allen whispered to Lavi, eyeing Natsu and the Raven Tail team. "Raven Tail...? Fairy Tail...?"

"Allen, we can all see that."

Back in the audience, Makarov was shaking with rage.

"A dark guild!" he spat. "YOU'RE LETTING A GUILD LIKE THAT PARTICIPATING IN THE GAMES?!" he cried out.

"Master, calm down!" said Macao, as he and Lisanna tried to restrain their Master.

"Indeed, I do feel a malicious force coming from them," Mavis said calmly, watching the backs of Raven Tail.

The audience let out worried murmurs.

"They said it was a dark guild..."

"What's a dark guild doing here..."

Bak Chang frowned. He, too, had a very suspicious feeling about the Raven Tail group.

_"Well, according to the official record, Raven Tail has existed for more than seven years,"_ said the emcee, reading a stack of papers. _"Just like Apostles, it was recently approved as a legal guild."_

"In other words, no longer a dark guild," added Yajima.

"Ivan... How the hell did you get in..." Makarov muttered.

There was a very tight tension between Fairy Tail and Raven Tail at the moment.

One of the members of Raven Tail who wore a gold mask spoke.

"Fairy Tail... This girl here was our way of saying hello."

A small, demon-like creature on one of the Raven Tail members suddenly transformed its head into Wendy's, mimicking her passing out.

Team Fairy Tail was shaking with rage.

"This doesn't look good," Lenalee whispered to her group, as Natsu spoke.

_"You're the ones who hurt Wendy... We won't let you get away with this..."_

The emcee's voice lighten the mood.

_"Well, there are only two teams left!"_

The audience began to look excited.

"Oh yeah, there are two teams left, right?" Happy asked Macao.

"Yeah. One of them's gotta be Sabertooth... And the other..."

"All the main teams are already out..."

"Was there a strong guild that kept itself hidden?" Gray asked Erza.

"A guild that probably has something to do with the mysterious power Jellal mentioned...?" Erza muttered back.

_"All right! Now entering are the two teams from the preliminary event!"_

There was a thunder of footsteps.

_"Wow! What another surprise! Could this be another opportunity for the broken winged fairies to fly again?! Seriously?! Could that be — ?!"_

Natsu's and Lucy's eyeballs were so wide they nearly fell off.

"WHA — !"

_"FAIRY TAILLLLL, TEAM B!"_

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?!"

"N-Nee-chan!" Elfman cried at Mirajane.

"Gajeel!"

"JUVIAAAAA?!"

"It's breaking the rules to have Laxus heeeeere!"

The audience was dumbstruck.

"Another Fairy Tail team?!"

Natsu suddenly caught sight of a covered man.

"_Hey hey hey_ WHY IS MYSTOGAN HERE?!"

"Jellal!" Erza hissed under her breath.

Mystogan held up a finger to his lips.

_"Seriously?!"_

"That's Fairy Tail for you..." said Hibiki. "Two teams made the cut..."

The spectators were hissing out angry exclaims.

"Fairy Tail has two teams?" Allen voiced out, bemused.

"And to finish in second... when you compare them to Natsu's group..." Lavi added.

_"Well, Yajima-san, looks like a lot of people are upset over the revision of the rules this time,"_ said Chapati Lola.

"For this tournament, each guild can have one team, but they can also have two teams participating," Yajima explained.

"I didn't hear anything about that, Master!" Lucy cried.

Makarov stood up, although he was so short it didn't make much of a difference, and guffawed.

"YOU SEE THAT?! THAT'S FAIRY TAIL FOR YA!" he cried.

"Tch, can they shut up already!? So damn annoying!" Kanda growled.

"Don't be rude, Kanda." Lenalee scowled.

"But two Fairy Tail teams?! And damnnnnn, the girls are cute! And I mean 'cute' as in 'hot'," Lavi said to Allen, eyeing Mirajane and Juvia, causing the younger boy to roll his eyes.

_"The final round will be a battle between all the teams, but will the same guild teams be able to fight each other?!"_

"Whoa, hold on. A battle?" Lavi frowned at the emcee's words.

"That means... we're up against Natsu-san and the other guilds..." Allen said nervously.

Jenny Realight was dissatisfied.

"Isn't this a bit too unfair? Won't Fairy Tail be fighting as a pair? They have an advantage!"

"Out of over a 100 teams," Chapati Lola reminded her. "A very great advantage indeed."

Natsu nearly went Super Saiyan.

"ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING MEEEEE?!" he screeched. He pointed to Team Fairy Tail B.

"I don't care if we're from the same guild, I won't hesitate to kick your ass! We're rivals! We won't lose to you!"

"Says someone who nearly got disqualified for attacking two members of a guild earlier," Gajeel growled at Natsu. "And to finish in last place."

Mavis frowned at Mystogan, who was talking to Erza.

"That man isn't a guild member, isn't he?" she said quietly.

_Caught!_ Makarov gulped.

_"Okay, there's just one more team left!"_ The stadium suddenly shuddered with wild cheers.

_"That's right! I'm sure you all already know! It's the best! The undefeated! THE ULTIMATE KING, SABERTOOOOOOOOOOOOTH!"_ The whole arena let out a resounding, ear-splitting roar as Sabertooth took the field, their insignia flashing around a hundred times more bigger and brighter.

"So that's Sabertooth..." Lavi stared at the blond-haired boy who took the lead.

"They do look strong," Allen said glumly. Even Kanda was showing a bit of interest in the number one guild.

"You guys finally showed up..." Natsu said to the blond-haired boy, Sting Eucliffe, as the cheering still echoed.

"I hope you didn't attack the other team way too hard, Natsu-san." Sting smirked. "Otherwise, the Games wouldn't be fun if you've already went all out."

"Gajeel..." A black-haired boy was looking at the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"_What're you looking at!?_" Gajeel hissed at him.

"Go get them, Sting-kun!" A brown Exceed cried out from the audience.

"Fro is cheering you on too~!" A green Exceed dressed like a frog added.

Happy was looking pissed.

"Exceeds, huh?" said Gajeel's cat, Pantherlily.

"NATSUUU, GAJEEEL, you better win!" Happy exclaimed loudly.

"Flying cats are so nice... I want one..." Allen said sadly to Lavi, watching Happy.

"You have Tim."

"Timcanpy doesn't talk... And he eats my food..." Allen sighed as Lavi just grinned and Lenalee shook her head in amusement.

_"Now that all the teams have arrived, I'm going to announce the Games' program!"_

There was a huge earth-quaking sound and a few moments later, a huge stone board popped out of the ground, showing :

**Day 1 :**** hidden + battle**

**Day 2 :**** ? + battle**

**Day 3 :**** ? + battle**

**Day 4 :**** ? + tag battle**

**Day 5 :**** ?**

"A game and a battle right on the first day?" said Lavi.

"This is looking tough," Allen said worriedly.

The emcee was looking through his papers.

_"For games, each team already has varying points according to their ranking in the elimination round, from 1st to 8th. Any team can select a member from their team to take part."_

The words on the board magically changed.

**Points in Games**

**1st**** \- **10**P**

**2nd**** \- **8**P**

**3rd**** -** 6**P**

**4th**** \- **4**P**

**5th**** \- **3**P**

**6th**** -** 2**P**

**7th**** \- **1**P**

**8th**** \- **0**P**

_"Now, for the battles part, the sponsor will have the right to make a decision by considering factors like fans' votes."_

"What?" Erza muttered.

"They get to decide?" Gray said, caught off guard.

"That's bad," Lavi said to his teammates. "We might hafta go right into the battles after the games, and one of us might be picked twice... You'll be exhausting your energy just for the games part... You up for that, Yuu?" Lavi said jokingly to Kanda.

"Tch."

_"The rules for the battles are simple. Teams fight against each other and the winning team gets 10P while the losing team gets none. If it's a tie, both get five."_

Allen stared at the board.

**Battles**

**Win**** \- **10**P**

**Lose**** \- **0**P**

**Draw**** -** 5**P**

_This program is so complicated..._ he thought.

_"And now! The Grand Magic Games' opening game! Let's begin 'Hidden'!"_

The whole stadium let out murmurs.

"Hidden?"

"What kind of game is that?"

_"One person from each team will participate. I'll explain the rules of the game after all the players are on the field."_

"Let me check out the first one!" A member of Mermaid Heel asked her team leader.

"You have my permission."

_"All right, the first to step up is Mermaid Heel's Beth Vanderwood!"_

"Nalpudding, you go."

"Sure thing."

_"From Raven Tail, Nalpudding!"_

"I'll do this one!"

"Eve-kun is our first person!" Blue Pegasus did some sort of weird dance.

_"Eve has been called out! From Blue Pegasus, Eve Tearm!"_

A man with a mask and feather hat stepped forward.

"I'll do it," he said to his teammates. "The singing of the birds is pleasant today."

_"All eyes are on Sabertooth, and they go with the singing poet who sings to the crimson moon, Rufus Lore!"_

Team Fairy Tail was still deciding.

"I'll go first!" Elfman volunteered. "I'll do it as a man!"

"Exactly what part of you is 'hidden'?" said Gray.

Lyon from Lamia Scale grinned.

"We must stay ahead from the first game. I'll go."

_"From Lamia Scale, Lyon Vastia!"_

"Huh," said Gray, "then count me in. You can show me what this tournament is like," he added to Lyon.

_"From Fairy Tail Team A, Gray Fullbuster!"_

Juvia swooned.

"Wahhhhhhh! If Gray-sama is going, then so is Juvia~!"

"Hey! If you lose on purpose, there'll be hell to pay!" Gajeel growled.

_"From Fairy Tail Team B, Juvia Lockser!"_

"So, who's going first?" Lavi said brightly, turning to Allen, Lenalee, Kanda, and Marie.

"The game is Hidden, right?" Allen asked. "It probably involves hiding... in that case..."

Everyone in the group turned to look at Marie.

"Me...?" The dark-skinned exorcist murmured.

"Why not?" Kanda snapped.

"You have excellent hearing. It'll be easier for you to detect people or something like that," Lavi agreed.

"All right."

_"From Apostles, Noise Marie!"_

The emcee cleared his throat.

_"All right, all of the players from the eight participating teams are set! Now, for the rules of the opening game, 'Hidden'!"_

A pumpkin suddenly appeared onto the field.

"Participants for 'Hidden', come forward!" he announced ecstatically.

"Good luck, Marie-san!" Lenalee called as Lavi and Allen gave Marie a thumbs-up.

They turned around to face Kanda.

"Kanda, aren't you going to say anything?"

The samurai exorcist merely grunted. "Go, Marie."

"Okay... now it sounds like you're kicking him out," Lavi muttered as Marie went to join the group at the front.

_"We're about to begin!"_ Chapati Lola spoke to the arena. He turned around to the chef beside him. _"Commentator Yajima-san, is there a player we should pay extra attention to?"_

"Sabertooth's Rufus is the probably the crowd's favorite, but I'm going to be watching two people : Fairy Tail's Gray-kun and Apostles' Noise-kun."

_"How about you, Miss Blue Pegasus' Jenny-san?!"_

"Do I even need to ask that? It's our incredible Eve-kun!" she exclaimed.

The pumpkin eyed the eight participants.

"Um, I've been wondering this since the elimination round... What are you?" Gray asked the mascot.

"Well, as you can see, I'm a pumpkin~! My name is Mato!" The referee replied cheerfully.

Faraway, Marie could hear Allen and Lavi.

"See I told you it was a pumpkin!"

"I don't get it — what kind of mother did he have?!" Lavi cried.

_Why do I have such sharp ears.._. Thanks to Lavi, Marie now had a disturbing image of a woman giving birth to a pumpkin.

The pumpkin cleared its throat.

"Let's begin!" he cried. "_Field, open!...pum!_"

Blue pixels suddenly appeared from the ground and stretched up wide to construct a large structure.

"W-what?!" Gray cried.

"It's a town!" Lucy cried, as Gray and the other players disappeared.

_What is this?_ Marie wondered to himself. He was suddenly in a gigantic city.

"T-that thing is huge!" Allen cried. "Is Marie-san going to be okay?!"

"An ideal place for 'Hidden', it seems," Lavi said seriously. "How did they create a city like that...?"

"So, it's kinda like 'hide-and-seek', isn't it?" Lenalee said thoughtfully.

The entire audience was awestruck.

"_This is mind-blowing!_" Natsu shouted, seeing the large city before him.

_"Everyone, please watch what happens in the town via Lacrima Vision."_

"La creme de la what Vision?" Lavi clearly misheard.

"Lacrima Vision," the white-haired exorcist corrected him.

Eight huge rectangular Lacrimas appeared in the sky, each displaying a player and their location.

"Again, how did they do that?" Lavi demanded, as the emcee's voice rang around the stadium.

_"The eight contestants won't be able to know where the others are. The rules of 'Hidden' are very simple : each person is the hider and seeker!"_

"What do you mean?!" Natsu cried as the players in the town looked around the city.

_"Find each other in this town! You can use any magic to deliver an attack! It doesn't matter if you do any damage; the person who attacks first gets one point."_

Marie felt sudden movements.

"What's going on...?" he murmured, as blue pixels formed all around him, suddenly turning into clones of every player.

"W-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Gray cried, as he was surrounded by a bunch of Juvias, Eves, and Lyons.

"S-so many clones!" Allen exclaimed, watching Marie through the Lacrima.

"Augh, a bunch of Grays... I'm sick..." Natsu turned his gaze away from the Lacrimas.

"Damn... this is going to be hard for Marie..." Lavi looked strained.

"It'll be hard figuring out which one is the real Marie-san, too," Lenalee added.

_"These are your clones,"_ said the emcee. _"If you make a mistake and attack a clone, you'll lose one point."_

"This is bad — _seriously bad._ Marie can't see!" Lavi was now panicky.

"W-what should we do?! It's about to start!" Allen cried.

"Retards," Kanda snarled at them. "Calm the fuck down. Just trust Marie." He turned his glare back to the Lacrimas.

"He's right, you two," Lenalee told the two exorcists.

There was a huge, resounding gong noise.

_"Start! Disappear in silence! Just like a black cat hidden in the dark night! Let 'Hidden' begin!"_

* * *

Noise Marie may be blind, but he made up for it with his incredible hearing.

He quietly activated his Innocence and stared around at the many clones.

_"Oh my! Juvia just attacked a copy and lost one point!"_ He heard the emcee cry out. _"Under this situation, you should restart somewhere else after about ten seconds. You can restart as many times as you can, but the time limit is thirty minutes. The player with the most points by then will win."_

_So I only have 30 minutes to get the most points_ ... Marie grimaced. He carefully navigated his way through the hundreds of copies... listening very hard...

"He looks kinda stressed," Lenalee said concernedly, watching Marie.

"I'm rooting for you, Marie-san!" Both Allen and Lavi cried while constantly biting their fingernails in fear.

Lavi turned his attention to Gray, who had encountered Nalpudding. He watched as Gray cried "_**Ice Hammer!**_" and stared as sharp, everlasting ice pierced the enemy.

"Gray-san's magic improved..." mused Allen. "The ice form looks different from what I remembered."

"Yeah... it does..." Lavi agreed, remembering back when the ice mage had froze Allen's legs.

_"Uh-oh! Gray hit a clone! That's minus one point!"_

"WHAAAAAT?!" Team Fairy Tail A cried as Gray respawned.

"Dammit!" Gray cursed, when he appeared again. "Wait... I've got an idea..."

The whole stadium watched as the players walked around amongst the copies.

"They all walked into the crowd..." Lucy murmured.

"I – I can't find Marie-san... every Lacrima looks the same..." Allen stared anxiously around.

"It's amazing he hasn't gotten attacked yet," Lavi said, as Gray was hit again.

_"Gray was attacked! Minus two points!"_

"GRAAAAAAY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" A pissed off Natsu screamed.

"_Can't believe you got attacked by the same guy twice!_" Elfman exclaimed angrily.

The board flashed new numbers.

**Updates**

**1.**** RAVEN TAIL **Nalpudding** +1**

**2.**** SABERTOOTH **Rufus

**LAMIA SCALE **Lyon

**APOSTLES **Noise

**MERMAID HEEL **Beth

**BLUE PEGASUS **Eve

**7.**** FAIRY TAIL B **Juvia** -1**

**8.**** FAIRY TAIL A** Gray** -2**

**TIME : 27 MINS**

Allen and Lavi sighed in relief.

"Marie-san didn't get attacked yet..."

"But he hasn't attacked anyone either..."

* * *

_It's been three minutes,_ Marie thought to himself. For him, it was very easy to detect which copies were real and which were fake.

The copies didn't have heartbeats.

So when a Lyon Vastia passed him, he was prepared.

A piece of string cut into Lyon's shoulder blade, and a trail of blood gushed out.

"What the — ?!" The Lamia Scale member cried, as he vanished.

_"Lyon got attacked! 1 point for Noise!"_

"YESSSSSSS!" Bak cheered, waving around the Apostles flag.

"Whaaaat?!" Chelia cried as Lavi and Allen let out a whoop. Even Kanda looked slightly proud.

Something white was falling over the town.

"What is this?! Is it snowing?!" Gray looked up — and dodged out of the way as Eve suddenly jumped down from a tall building, hitting Beth, Marie, and Nalpudding.

_"Eve's got a series of attacks!"_ The emcee cried as Lyon appeared with an ice eagle, attempting to attack Gray.

"Ahhhhhh Marie got hit..." Lavi muttered as the exorcist respawned.

Kanda was impatient.

"Tch... what is he doing?!" Kanda snapped, watching the many Maries.

"What are you talking about, Kanda? He just got attacked," Allen said in alarm.

"I don't care about that! Why isn't he attacking them all at once?!"

Lavi looked bewildered.

"Well, there's clones — what if he accidentally hits the copies?"

"That's not what I meant! Marie can hear who is real or fake," Kanda explained shortly, "it should be easy for him to land some points _so why the hell isn't he attacking?!_"

"Yuu's surprisingly competitive," Lavi whispered to the cursed boy as Kanda kept tapping his foot in irritation.

_"__**Noel Organon!**__"_

Five strings suddenly streaked through the air and pierced a small cut on Gray, Juvia, Nalpudding, Eve, Beth and Lyon.

"About damn time!" Kanda yelled as the arena erupted into gasps.

_"Look at that! Apostles' Noise has earned 6 points! Impressive!"_ Chapati Lola cried.

"YESSSSS! WAY TO GO, MARIE!" Bak stood up and waved the flag around again.

"W-what kind of magic is that?!" Lucy looked flabbergasted.

"Strings?" Erza said curiously.

"_Holy shit — six?!_" Natsu's mouth was open.

_"Noise Marie is now in the lead!"_ The emcee announced.

"Wow... First!" Allen grinned at his teammates.

The pumpkin was positively crying with delight.

"I knew I made the right choice!" he squeaked.

"Hey, how come Sabertooth's Rufus hasn't moved yet?!" Some of the people from the audience complained. "He hasn't attacked or gotten attacked!"

"This game is so lame and boring."

Everyone looked at the Lacrimas in alarm to see Rufus standing on top of a pointy building.

"I can remember everything... everyone's heartbeats, footsteps, and magics," said the Sabertooth member.

"Heartbeats?" said Allen.

"So he, like Marie-san, can hear everyone's heartbeats?" Lenalee looked stunned.

"Uh, he's standing in a totally obvious place..." Lavi stared at the Lacrima.

"What a show-off!" said Natsu. "GRAY, LOOK UP!"

Rufus half-smiled.

"I remember... everything. _**Memory-Make : Into A Night Of Stars!**_"

Everyone gasped as streaks of light directly landed on the other players, missing Nalpudding, who had jumped up towards Rufus and attacked him.

"Ha — crap, it's a clone?!" The Raven Tail player stared around bewilderingly as the Rufus copy vanished.

The real Rufus struck Nalpudding right in the face.

"I don't need a decoy to hide," he said. "In fact, I don't need to hide."

Chapati Lola looked shocked.

_"A-ALL DOWWWWWN! First place in a blink of an eye! THIS IS RUFUS OF SABERTOOTH!"_

"A-Amazing... I don't think I want to face him on the battlefield," Allen voiced out in an awed voice.

The whole stadium was erupting with cheers for Sabertooth.

"That's Rufus-kun for ya! Although he's not as strong as Sting-kun!" Lector the Exceed cheered.

Lavi now looked at the Sabertooth party with some apprehension.

"That's Fiore's number one..."

Gray looked frustrated, glaring at Rufus who was perched up again on the roof.

"He doesn't need to hide?! Why doesn't he follow the damn rules?!"

Lucy and Erza gasped when Nalpudding landed another hit on an angry Gray.

"What's he doing?!" Allen exclaimed, looking at Gray and Nalpudding on the screen. "Why does he keep on attacking Gray-san?!"

"Beats me... although that is weird..." Lavi frowned.

_"TIME'S UP!"_ At last, the gigantic city began to vanish, and the players, a bit caught off guard, trotted their way back to their groups to loud applause.

_"Please check your rankings! Since it's only the first game, these are just your current ranks!"_

Everyone stared at the board.

**Final Rankings**

**1.**** SABERTOOTH **10**P**

**2.**** APOSTLES** 8**P**

**3.**** RAVEN TAIL **6**P**

**4.**** LAMIA SCALE **4**P**

**5.**** BLUE PEGASUS **3**P**

**6.**** MERMAID HEEL** 2**P**

**7.**** FAIRY TAIL B **1**P**

**8.**** FAIRY TAIL A **0**P**

"4TH?! What are you doing, Lyon?!" The elderly woman of Lamia Scale cried.

"3 points... We're just warming up," Ren said, as Hibiki nodded.

Mermaid Heel looked displeased.

"We're not doing so well," sighed one of the members.

Marie came back to applause from Lenalee, Lavi, and Allen and a nod from Kanda.

"Second place! Not bad!" Lenalee squealed as Bak was sobbing in the audience.

"We're not really here to win, though... I wish Fairy Tail could've gotten some points..." Allen gave the two Fairy Tail teams a worried look.

Sting was eyeing the Apostles group.

"They're a new guild yet they got second?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"They must be strong," said the boy beside Sting, Rogue Cheney.

"No way. We're the strongest. They just got lucky. We'll beat them for sure."

"Whatever you say..."

The audience was cheering for their favorite player.

"I knew it! Sabertooth is first!"

"That was a good game!"

The spectators started to laugh cruelly.

"HAH! Despite their efforts, the two teams from Fairy Tail didn't do so well!"

"FAIRY TAIL IS LAAAAAME!" A majority of the crowd laughed out, as Gray trotted back to his group, his eyes hooded from his bangs.

"They always come in last place! Hah, give it up! Your Era is over!" More people from their seats laughed.

"Hey, that's seriously rude..." Lavi said in disgust, as the whole stadium rang with laughter.

"Why are they trashing a guild just because they came in last?" Allen added, also sounding angry.

Gray was shaking. Even Natsu noticed.

"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT, JERKS?!" he spat at the laughing spectators.

"WOW, lost your cool?!"

"Oooooh, I'm so scareddddd!"

"Bark all you want, lo~serrrrr!"

"Where are you two going?!" Kanda hissed, grabbing Lavi and Allen by the back of their coats; both boys were looking enraged.

Erza was also doing the same to Natsu.

"Let it go," she said, "ignore them."

"Sorry," Gray mumbled, avoiding his teammates' eyes.

"It's okay! It's just one game," Lucy said comfortingly.

The stellar spirit mage stared worriedly at Gray's retreating back as the ice mage left the field into the hallway.

_"All right! Next, we have the battles! The contestants who are called, please step forward!"_

* * *

Back inside, Gray angrily punched the stone wall, making a large dent.

_"Raven Tail... Shaping-magic wizard... I swear I will settle this with you one day..."_

* * *

"Is Gray-san okay?" Allen said quietly. He and Lavi had just watched the ice mage heading back inside.

"I would've beaten those trash bags to a pulp," Lavi said, looking at the people who had insulted Fairy Tail with loathing.

"Calm down! You're not the only one who feels the same!" Lenalee said sternly as the Games continued on.

_"Now, let me confirm the system of the battles. Each team only has to fight in one battle. I heard that the host will be deciding which team vs which team. Interesting, right?! I've got the schedule!"_

The emcee took out the papers.

_"Day One First Battle! Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail A versus Lenalee Lee from Apostles!"_

"Me?" exclaimed Lucy.

"WOOT! GO LENALEE-CHAN~!" Bak cried out from the crowd.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Lavi and Allen were flabbergasted as Team Fairy Tail A looked surprised.

"_Lenalee vs Lucy?!_ Crap, I'll go for Lucy 'cause she's hotter — " Lavi looked feverish.

"_You're suppose to be cheering for Lenalee!_" Allen told him.

"You say that Allen, but you're looking at Lucy too — !"

"WHOA, it's us versus Allen and Gravy!" Natsu looked excited.

"LENALEE YOU CAN'T GO!" Lavi and Allen had both thrown themselves at the older girl, who was about to head down onto the field. Lavi threw a hard kick at Lenalee's shin, making her collapse on the ground.

"OWWWW! — WHAT THE H— OWW!" Lenalee screamed as Allen kicked her other shin.

"Hey mister!" Lavi shouted to the emcee, "she's suddenly injured!"

The emcee gasped at the injured Lenalee on the ground.

_"Yikes! Is that so?! Well, ladies and gentlemen, there's a change of plans! Apostles' Lenalee is unable to participate, so we'll draw the runner up!"_

Natsu blinked. "What the hell?" he asked, bemused.

"Did they just injure their own team member?" said Elfman.

"_Hey hey hey!_ FIGHT US FAIR AND SQUARE!" Natsu bellowed at Allen and Lavi.

"It's not what you think!" Lavi yelled back.

Kanda's golem was on.

_"Lavi, Walker! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING, ATTACKING LENALEE?!_" Bak screamed on the other line.

"_I'm saving her beauty for another day! You should be glad, Lenalee-stalker!_" Lavi shouted back.

Ren from Pegasus grinned at Eve.

"That Lenalee girl is strong. Lucy should be glad she's not going up against her."

Meanwhile, Lenalee was half-scowling at her two teammates, half-wincing in pain.

"Just _what are you doing_, Lavi, Allen-kun!?" she asked through gritted teeth, as two huge bruises appeared on her shins.

"Sorry, Lenalee," Allen apologized hastily.

"You can't go up against Lucy, said Lavi quickly.

The Chinese girl looked confused.

"Why?"

"We only need one hot girl out on the field," Lavi explained sheepishly, and Lenalee rolled her eyes in exasperation.

* * *

_"Well, everyone! Sorry for the long wait! Here it is, the new revised schedule! Day One First Battle, Fairy Tail A's Lucy Heartfilia vs Raven Tail's Flare Corona!"_

"Raven Tail..." Lucy said slowly.

"Against Blondie?" Flare looked highly satisfied.

"LUCYYYY! SHOW THEM YOUR ACHIEVEMENT FROM EXTREME TRAININNNNG!" Natsu bellowed as a prep talk.

"We can still catch up," Erza added.

"LET'S WIN AN IMPRESSIVE VICTORY!" Elfman roared.

"Lucy-san is going out..." Allen cocked his head to the side, staring at the stellar spirit mage, who came out onto the field with a determined expression on her face. "She looks so ... ready."

"Finallyyyyy. A battle between girls," Lavi mused. He leaned in forward a bit and rearranged his eyepatch. "I'm going for Lucy. That Flare girl looks weird."

"Agreed."

Behind them, Lenalee was rubbing her shins.

"You two are so horrible, doing this to me."

Allen and Lavi just grinned.

* * *

The last few minutes of the battle between Lucy and Flare was unbearable.

Lucy had fallen to the ground, in despair that her _Urano Metria_ technique failed, as Flare laughed hysterically, trashing the blonde in front of her.

Everyone else was also laughing — the townspeople and regular spectators in the audience, it seemed. Once again trashing Fairy Tail.

"Can they fucking shut up?!" Kanda finally snapped as the booing, laughing and insulting continued.

Allen did not even realize his hands were balled up into fists. He stared down below as the emcee announced Flare as the winner, and watched as Natsu tried to console a sobbing Lucy, holding out a hand to her and leading her inside, past the sick laughs of the audience.

"She was so close!" gasped Lenalee, her hands to her mouth. "Why didn't her 'Urano Metria' technique worked?! It looked so powerful!"

"I really don't like Raven Tail," Allen muttered, glaring down at Flare, who was still disgustingly laughing.

* * *

"Is Lucy okay?" Erza asked as Natsu came back out.

"Yup! Taking a bath. What's going on?" The fire mage asked.

"You just missed the second round of the battles." Erza told him as Blue Pegasus' Ren was announced the victor against Mermaid Heel's Ariana Web.

"_Shit noooooooo!_" Natsu did an accurate impression of The Scream. "I wanted to see the fight!"

"It was kinda short, actually," Elfman assured him.

"_So so so,_ what did Ren use as a finishing attack?!" Natsu asked hurriedly.

"A technique called _Aerial Phose_. He summoned a cyclone... Quite impressive. Blue Pegasus has improved over the seven years." Erza looked impressed.

"Wooooow. So does that mean that Ichiya from Pegasus also got stronger?"

"He's the strongest in Blue Pegasus, Natsu. He just has character flaws."

"HAHAHAHA... oh, you're serious..."

Elfman wrinkled his nose.

"Pegasus was 7th in the elimination round, though."

"Hmmmmm..." Natsu hummed thoughtfully as Erza opened her mouth.

"Yes, I was quite surprised about that..."

* * *

_"Moving on! The third round of the battles! Noise Marie from Apostles vs Orga Nanagear from Sabertooth!"_

"WHAAAAT?!" Lavi and Allen yelled again.

"Marie-san, you got picked... but you've just — ! " Lenalee trailed off.

"Tch. End it quick, will you? The audience is annoying as hell," Kanda snapped to Marie, who nodded.

"It's really not fair that Marie has to go twice..." Lavi frowned.

"He probably got selected because we were second in 'Hidden'," Allen said glumly. "And the fact that we kicked Lenalee," he added as Lenalee once again scowled, still upset.

"Well, yeah, but there's still three of us," Lavi pointed out.

"ALLEEEEEN! GRAVYYYYYY!"

The two boys turned around to see Natsu waving across the arena at them.

"WE'RE CHEERING FOR YOUR GUILDDDDD!" The fire mage bellowed, pointing unnecessarily at Marie, who was making his way out onto the field.

"Thank you very much!" Allen yelled back.

"LOVE YOU VERY MUCH?" Natsu shouted again. He suddenly went a bit red. "Uhhhh..."

Elfman and Erza were sniggering behind him.

"NOOOOO!" Allen said hastily, as Lavi and Lenalee burst out laughing and even Kanda coughed, "I SAID — THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"

"UMMMMM I DON'T FEEL THE SAME WAY, ALLEN!"

"_What the hell?! No!_" Allen cried, as Lavi coughed out "R-Rejected!"

"NATSU-SAN, I SAID THANK YOU!"

Across the arena, the fire mage blinked.

"OHHHHHH, 'THANK YOU'!"

"YES!" Allen cried, finally glad Natsu cottoned on.

"FOR WHAT?"

_Oh my Good lord..._ Allen face-palmed as Lavi died of laughter.

* * *

_"The third round — you have thirty minutes, start!"_

Sabertooth was eyeing their team member.

"Orga will end this in a flash," Sting said confidently to Rufus.

Orga Nanagear was eyeing Marie suspiciously as the audience watched with bated breath.

There was a sudden black explosion and Marie was thrown off his feet.

The crowd went hysterical.

"THERE IT IS!" Lector cried, "Orga-kun's_ Black Lightning Sphere!_"

_"Shit!"_ Both Bak and Kanda had yelled.

"Marie-san!" Allen exclaimed; the dark-skinned exorcist was defeated on the ground below, having being struck.

_"GAME OVERRRR! WHAT A STRIKE! APOSTLES' NOISE MARIE IS DOWN! SABERTOOTH GAINS 20 POINTS TODAY!"_

"HE'S A MONSTER!" The crowd cheered.

"HE TOOK OUT THAT GUY IN JUST A FLASH!"

"N-No way! Marie-san didn't even get a chance to attack!" Lenalee cried, as the spectators began to chant out _"Sabertooth! Sabertooth!"_

"Sabertooth is really strong..." Lavi stared at Orga down in astonishment.

_"Tch!"_ Kanda looked disgusted.

* * *

"Maaaaaaan, I feel bad for Allen's group!" Natsu said to his teammates as Marie limped back to his group.

"He needs the infirmary," Erza said, frowning as Allen and others made a fuss over their beat-up team member.

"Naaah, he looks fine!" Natsu grinned as he watched Marie shaking his head at his group, then sitting down and taking out a piece of string.

"To still be able to walk after an attack like that... He's Manly!" Elfman gave an approving nod as down below, Orga had suddenly took out a microphone.

"What's he doin'?" Natsu asked curiously, watching the Sabertooth member.

"It looks like he's going to sin — "

"_THE STRONGEST NUMBER ONEEEEEEEEEEE!_" Orga's horrible singing erupted all over the stadium, torturing Natsu and the others.

"_WE'RE THE BEST IN THE WORLDDDDDDDDD~! DE NA DE NA DE NAAA~!_"

"GAHHH!" Allen cried. "How can you call that singing — !"

"OH MY GOD MY EARDRUMMMMMMS!" Lavi bellowed, going on all fours on the ground, as the audience cheered.

"Wah! He sings like an angel!" One woman shouted from her seat.

"AN ANGEL MY ASS! I'M LOSING MY BRAIN CELLS HERE!" Kanda yelled, his fingers in his ears as Orga continued the chorus.

"YUU, PLEASE STAB MY EARS WITH YOUR MUGENNNNNNN!"

* * *

_"And finally! The last round of the first day! The last two teams are Fairy Tail B and Lamia Scale! This'll be quite interesting! Up next, Mystogan from Fairy Tail B vs Jura Neekis from Lamia Scale!"_ The emcee announced loudly.

"OOOOH, it's him! The strong-looking guy!" Lenalee stared at Jura with fascination as the crowd let out exclaims.

"IT'S HIM! IRON ROCK JURA! He's fighting on the first day!"

"Fairy Tail B is going to lose for sure!"

"It's the real Jura!"

The emcee gave a bit of background info.

_"Even in Fairy Tail, very few people know his true appearance. A very mysterious mage he is, Mystogan,"_ said Chapati, as Mystogan entered the field.

"Wow, I didn't know Fairy Tail had someone like that..." Allen mused.

Lavi frowned. "I didn't see that Mystogan when I was by the Fairy Tail guild..."

_"The rival is the strongest backup of this tournament who owns the title of one of the Ten Wizards Saints, Jura Neekis!"_ The arena was full of cheers and roars.

"No wonder he looks so strong!" exclaimed Lenalee.

"He has a nice beard." Lavi sniggered.

"Eh... I'm rooting for Fairy Tail B," said Allen, looking at Mystogan.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena...

"I can't believe Jellal's opponent is Jura," Erza muttered under her breath as she watched Laxus, Mira, and Gajeel trying to give the fake Mystogan a prep talk.

The fighters entered the field to ear-splitting cheers.

Jura spoke first.

"Personally speaking, I hope Fairy Tail can have a good show," he said to Mystogan. "Sorry, but I won't show any mercy."

"Me too," Mystogan muttered.

_"All right! Today's final match... Time limit is thirty minutes — START!"_

Almost immediately, Mystogan took off at a run, preparing to attack with his Five Magic Staves when —

"Gah!" He winced as multiple rock pillars suddenly erupted from the ground and blocked his path.

"WHOA!" Both Allen and Lavi looked much more awake now.

"Rocks... Incredible..." Lenalee was watching Jura's every move, as the latter kept constantly attacking the Fairy Tail opponent with pillars.

Mystogan, having hastily evading a gigantic pillar that was coming towards his way, threw his Five Staves around Jura, trapping the latter inside for a spell.

_"__**Five Layered Magic Circle : Sacred Song**__!"_

"HOLY– !" Lavi feverishly rubbed his eye and stared as Five Magic Seals appeared right on top of Jura, attacking the Wizard Saint with a concentrated beam of Magical Energy. The whole field was alight with magic, the seals reaching up into the heavens, dazzling everyone in the vicinity.

"This is Magic... How did he...?" Allen was now burning with curiosity.

"Did he get hit?!" Lenalee gasped as the seals disappeared, and an unharmed Jura came out, launching a giant rock fist at Mystogan.

"No way! That was the most sickest magic I've ever seen!" Lavi's mouth was open.

"It's obvious Jura's going to win!" Lyon exclaimed, as Mystogan tried attacking with another spell but failed when his attack was backfired.

"That Jura is amazing..." Lavi was leaning in forward, staring down below, watching the Wizard Saint sending back his opponent's attack. "Yuu, I don't think you're even a match for him!"

"Tch." Was all Kanda said, but Allen could see the samurai eyeing Jura with great concentration.

_"__**Grand Chariot!**__"_

_"__**Rock Mountain!**__"_

"DUDEEEEEEE THAT IS SOOOOO COOOL!" Natsu bellowed as a gigantic mountain sculpted into a giant warrior was formed.

"IS THAT THING ALIVE?!" Lavi and Allen cried, as bits of rock flew past their heads.

Mystogan seemed to be steeling himself for something. He made a motion towards the ground, pointing two of his fingers downward.

_"__**True Heavenly Body Magic : Sema!**__"_

The spell cast was instantaneous. Black swirling clouds suddenly appeared, hovering over the stadium so that they were cast in darkness.

"This is!" Jura stared up as the clouds began to swirl faster around Mystogan, forming a cyclone.

"WHAAAAAAT is that?!" Natsu yelled.

"What's going to happen?!" Lavi cried, his eye wide.

His question was answered for him.

Jellal suddenly coughed, and he seemed to be sweating.

"Augh – my mouth – it's ... it's..."

Everyone stared in confusion.

"Hey, what's wrong with him? He looked so cool for a second." Lavi looked dispirited.

Jellal was hissing like a snake.

"SPI — SPI — SPICYYYYYYYY~!"

_"W-what on earth is going on?! Mystogan is suddenly in agony!"_

"WHAAAAT?!" Everyone burst out, looking dumbstruck as the Fairy Tail fighter was itching to rip out his tongue. Then he started guffawing.

_"And now he's laughing!?"_

Everyone stared at the laughing, hysterical Mystogan, who then suddenly collapsed dead on the ground.

There was a very confused silence.

_"HE'S DOWN?!"_

"HUHHHHH?!"

Chapati was scratching his head as Jura looked stupefied at the passed out Mystogan before him.

_"I really don't get it, but Mystogan is down! Victor : Jura Neekis of Lamia Scale! And with that, the First Day of the Grand Magic Games draws to a close!"_

"HAHAHA! Good show, Fairy Tail!"

"You should make a comedy gag!"

Makarov Dreyar was so astonished, he looked like the walking dead.

_"And so, the First Day results are like this!"_

The board flashed new rankings.

**First Day Results**

**1st**** Sabertooth **20**P**

**2nd**** Raven Tail **16**P**

**3rd**** Lamia Scale **14**P**

**4th**** Blue Pegasus **13**P**

**5th**** Apostles **8**P**

**6th**** Mermaid Heel **2**P**

**7th**** Fairy Tail B **1**P**

**8th**** Fairy Tail A **0**P**

"We're fifth," Allen announced to the others.

"Sabertooth has 20 points..." Lenalee frowned.

"Uh... that last battle was weird. Like, really weird." Lavi rubbed his eye wearily.

"At least it was a seriously cool bit of magic," said Allen, as the audience got up from their seats and made their way out to the entrance.

"Walkerrrrrrrrr! You guys!"

The exorcists turned around to find Bak sprinting towards them.

"Are you five okay?! Marie, you should head to the infirmary!"

Marie merely groaned.

"I'm fine," he assured them. "I just need to rest."

Bak looked up and down the exorcists proudly.

"Why don't we all get something to eat? I have money."

Everyone agreed.

"You're gonna have to eat a lot," Bak told them, searching around in his jacket pockets for jewels. He lowered his voice so that the people passing by did not hear. "We'll be doing an investigation tonight."

"In here? Won't we get caught?" Lavi asked bewilderingly.

"I have a plan." There was a maniac gleam in Bak's eye. He kept fiddling around in his pockets.

"That's strange... I can't find the jewels..."

Allen suddenly remembered.

"Actually, Bak-san, didn't you leave the jewels on the table in our inn room?"

Bak snapped his fingers.

"I did!" he sighed. "Great... I'll have to go back and get it..."

"I'll fetch it," Allen volunteered. "You and everyone else can head out to pick a place to eat first."

"All right." Bak gave Allen the room key and the white-haired boy took off.

"Bak-san, what do you think of the Games so far?" Lenalee asked as they walked out of the stadium.

"Weeeell Lenalee-chan, I thought it was really unfair that..."

"Gravy!"

_"For the last time, my name is Lavi!"_ the red-haired boy said exasperatedly as Natsu came bouncing towards him.

The fire mage cocked his head to the side.

"Ummmmmm you look more like a Gravy to me... Anyways! Come join us at the Bar Sun!" Natsu grinned as the whole guild of Fairy Tail was behind him.

Lavi merely blinked. "Bar Sun?"

"Yeah. We gotta catch up!"

Lavi smiled.

"All right. Let me find Allen."

* * *

"Umm... what was our room number again..?" Allen said nervously as he walked on the second floor of the Great Caramel Inn.

"Was it 124?... No... 174?... Oh great, I can't remember..."

_Why don't the keys have room numbers on them?_ Allen thought irritatingly, as he entered the elevator and pushed a button to level 3, _so much more easier..._

As the elevators doors shut together, the young exorcist closed his eyes, thinking of nothing but food at the moment...

But the thoughts that ran through his mind weren't food...

_"Mana?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"Sometimes I feel like you're so far away, Mana."_

_"Really?"_

_"Do you love me, Mana?"_

_"I do, Nea."_

Allen gasped, snapping his eyes open. The elevator door was open to level 3, but the white-haired exorcist was too much in shock to get out. He was breathing heavily, and cold sweat trickled down from his forehead. He hastily wiped them away.

_That memory... wasn't mine._

* * *

Lavi walked down the hallway on the fourth level of the Great Caramel Inn. He made his way to room 281, humming a bit.

"Oh, yeah, Allen has the key..." Lavi said when he saw a lock on the door.

"Hey Allen, can you open the door?" The eye-patch boy called.

No reply.

Lavi scratched his head.

"Allen?"

...

"Allen? Uh, you there?"

...

"Allen-san?"

...

"I love Greece, you love cheese, Allen Walker can you hear me~?"

_Weird,_ thought Lavi, as there was no answer, _he's not here yet? Or does he just can't hear me?_

"ALLEN!" Lavi yelled, pounding on the door. He was even about to activate his Innocence when someone spoke behind him.

"Lavi?"

The bewildered boy turned around to see Allen blinking at him.

"GEEZ! WHERE WERE YOU?!"

"I got lost..."

* * *

"This is humiliating..." Cana Alberona told her guild drunkly in the Bar Sun. "The famous Fairy Tail... What a bunch of losers you're all now!"

None of them were very offended, as most of them were chugging on drinks to celebrate their failure.

"What an awful day we had," said Erza, conversing with Mirajane.

"I'll say. We'll beat them for sure tomorrow!"

"I'm gonna go tomorrow!" Natsu's eyes were ablaze with fire. "I swear, I'll take them all down!"

"If Salamander's going, so am I," piped up Gajeel.

Lucy and Gray entered the bar just as Juvia was wrapping up her bizarre story.

"... And what if Gray-sama suddenly takes her to the bed and they ***********?! What if this kind of thing happens?!" Juvia let out a dramatic scream.

"Definitely not possible," the ice mage murmured.

"Classic Juvia... you have the most disturbing imaginations..." Lucy sighed.

"How do you feel, Lu-chan?" Levy asked the celestial spirit mage.

"Totally better!" Lucy replied with a grin. She and Gray made their way to the table which was occupied by Erza, Happy, and Natsu.

"Mucyyyyyyyy! I'm gonner ro ermorrow!" said Natsu, while chomping on his meat.

"Swallow before you speak, please..."

Erza set down her drink.

"I've been meaning to ask all of you..." she eyed her teammates seriously, "do you think that this mysterious power Jellal mentioned has anything to do with the guilds?"

Lucy tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"I'm obviously suspicious about Raven Tail," she told Erza, who nodded, "but... maybe Sabertooth?"

"That's understandable, after seeing what monsters they were today," Gray muttered.

"What do you think, Erza?" Lucy asked the female mage.

Erza took a deep breath.

"You might not like my answer, but I'm suspicious about three guilds."

Her teammates stared.

"Who?"

"Raven Tail, Sabertooth... and Apostles."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer :** I don't own FT or DGM, yeah?

* * *

Chapter Eleven

* * *

Mercurius, also properly known as the 'Flower Light Palace', towered over the many hundreds of buildings in Crocus. It was an extremely large and tall castle adorned by a huge number of flowers.

And deep inside...

"Your Majesty, the first day of the Grand Magic Games ended just as we've planned."

There was a hearty laugh.

"Not bad!"

"For the battles on the second day, do you have any instructions?"

"Hmmm. Oh! That guy from the new guild, Apostles! I want to see him out on the field."

"Which team would you like him to be competing against?"

"Fairy Tail... The one that knows how to requip!"

"I see. I'll arrange that then."

Back at the Bar Sun, at one particular table, Natsu Dragneel stopped chomping on his meat. He stared at Erza, setting his food down.

"Why suspect Allen and Gravy?" he demanded, licking his fingers.

"It doesn't make sense," Gray added, looking bewildered.

"Exactly," said Erza, "_it doesn't make sense._ They suddenly appear in the Games as a new guild? Not to mention the fact that they've disappeared, too."

"Well, I suppose you're right... But like what Natsu said before, they must have a reason," said Lucy.

"Yes, but until they give us a real reason, they're on my suspect list," said Erza. "Don't get me wrong," she added, noticing the frowns on her teammates' faces, "I think they're nice people, but something is a bit off."

"I don't see what they have to do with this tournament." Gray frowned as Natsu bobbled his head up and down in agreement.

"If my memory serves right, didn't Allen and Lavi say they were travelers?" Erza asked.

"They were travelers?! Wooooow. I didn't know that!" The fire mage looked awed.

"What did you think they were?" Gray said exasperatedly. "And you don't need to answer that," he hasten to add, as Natsu opened his mouth dumbly to respond.

"Anyway, I don't see how a traveler can suddenly participate in a competition that requires magic — unless of course, they're mages," Erza continued.

"So you think everything they told us is a lie?" Gray asked her.

"Nah, I don't think so," Natsu piped up before Erza could respond, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I don't think they're lyin' or anythin'. They never told us whether or not they were mages."

"That's right! We've never directly asked them whether they were mages or not," Lucy agreed.

"True..." Gray looked thoughtful as Erza spoke again.

"That all may be very well, but if they are travelers, why are they participating in a magic tournament? And if they are mages... Well, I've never heard of a mage who doesn't know what a Mage is, a Guild is, or Magic is." The female mage pointed out.

"Oh... you're right." Three voices replied.

* * *

Lavi and Allen had entered their inn room and were busily searching for the jewels.

At first, Allen could've sworn he remembered the jewels being on the table near the couch, but he was sadly mistaken, for he was staring at the said table, where nothing was on its surface.

"That's weird," he said bewilderingly, searching the floor, hoping that the money must've fallen somewhere.

Lavi frowned, watching his fruitless efforts.

"Allen, you have a really bad memory."

"Thanks. I do believe it's much inferior to yours," Allen replied sardonically, earning a smile from his red-haired friend.

After searching every inch of the main, the washroom and the bedroom, they gave up.

"Well... What are we gonna do now?"

"Eat and run — I was just joking! Oh yeah, I told Bak-san and the others to meet us outside at the Bar Sun," Lavi informed him as they exited the room.

"Bar Sun?" Allen repeated, locking the door. "We're eating at an actual bar?"

"It's a bar? Wait, I don't think so... It might be just the name," said Lavi.

"Nope. It's a bar." Allen spoke as if it settled the matter.

"Huh, well, you sure are confident."

Allen gave the redhead a somewhat wicked smile.

"I've been going to bars with Master most of my life. I can tell."

"No wonder..."

The two made their way down below to the lobby. However, to their great surprise, Bak and the rest were waiting for them, along with another familiar-looking man who was wearing a large backpack.

_"Komui-san!"_

Komui Lee beamed.

"Allen-kun. Lavi. You two look well," he greeted them brightly.

"Oh, you too... but Komui-san, what are you doing here?" Allen asked, looking perplexed, giving Bak a you-didn't-tell-me-Komui-was-coming look.

Bak smiled (rather smugly) as Komui rounded on Lenalee.

"I came here to see my adorable Lenalee-chan, of course!"

Everyone tried not to roll their eyes as they watched Komui hugging his sister.

"Ahem. Bak, you didn't touch Lenalee, did you?" Komui asked as Lenalee sighed in exasperation, trying to snatch free of his grasp.

"Of course not," Bak replied darkly. He looked like he wanted to give Komui a good kick up the —

"_Anyway,_ on a serious note, I came through from the Ark, and took the train from Magnolia Town. I heard about the Games on the way. You're off to a great start. I'm pleased." Komui smiled at the exorcists.

"I'm also here to give you shots." The European Head straighten up and took out an item from his backpack.

"Shots? What's that?" Allen said curiously, examining the object in Komui's hand. It looked like a syringe.

"Exactly what it looks like. A syringe. I'm going to be doing a blood test."

"Eh? What do you mean?" The white-haired exorcist asked, eyeing the syringe with great concentration. It looked like a normal tool to him, but if it was one of Komui's inventions...

"Let me demonstrate. Roll up your sleeve."

Allen grimaced as he obeyed, Lavi and Lenalee giving him an over-sympathetic look. Really. The kind of look that people would give you at a funeral.

Komui suddenly stabbed him in the shoulder with the tool without warning, causing everyone around them to wince, but he strangely didn't feel any pain (which was saying something). He watched as Komui pulled the barrel back so that blood was sucked inside.

"Wow, Komui-san, for once that didn't hurt," Allen admitted happily, as Komui poured the blood into a small container.

Komui looked pleased.

"All right! Lavi, you're next!"

"Wait, we're all getting a blood test?"

"It's the flu season back in HQ," Komui explained. "I have to check if your blood's clean."

Lavi stepped forward a bit cautiously. Allen knew Lavi wasn't a big fan of needles. He remembered the one time when Bookman was healing his cursed eye with his acupuncture needles; the apprentice wasn't in the room at the time, no doubt having being unable to stand the revolting scene.

"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt," Allen assured the anxious redhead, placing a bandage on his shoulder.

Kanda, sitting on an armchair, made a 'tch' sound.

"You still scared of little needles, usagi?"

"_I am not!_" Lavi retorted back bravely as Komui straighten his glasses.

"Okay, Lavi, roll up your sleeve and stand still."

"Sur — HOLD ON, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! That thing is still full of Allen's blood!" The redhead cried, as Komui nearly went and stabbed him with the needle.

"Oh... but you and Allen have the same blood type anyway."

"_I don't care — just change the syringe!_ Do you know how dangerous it is to inject a used syringe like that?! Gramps told me so!" Lavi cried as Allen sniggered.

"Hm... But I don't think I have any extras..."

"WHAT?!"

"Komui-niisan, you don't have any more syringes!?" Lenalee asked worriedly.

"Do not fear, Lenalee! I was actually prepared for this kind of situation! You see, I actually invented a syringe for this purpose — it could clean itself, you know. I think it's in my bag..." To Lavi's enormous relief, Komui abandoned the plastic syringe and started rummaging around in his bag.

"A-ha!" he let out a cry a few moments later, taking out a gigantic metal syringe half the size of the lobby. It strangely had two black holes on the side.

"WHAAAAT is that?!" Lavi cried, his headband nearly flying off in alarm as he took several steps back.

"And just when I thought Komui-san got over his weird invention hobby..." Allen groaned.

"C'mon! This one is totally different from the Komlin robots! This is a syringe I invented! It's called the Komuswinge! Nice, isn't it? If I press this button here" — Komui pressed a random button — "it comes to life!"

"WHAAAAAAT!? WAIT, HOW THE HELL CAN SOMETHING THAT HUGE FIT IN YOUR BAG?!"

There was a loud beeping noise, and the black holes, apparently meant to be the eyes, sprang to life and started darting around.

"All right, Lavi! Stand still so Komuswinge can scan you!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?! THAT NEEDLE IS FREAKIN' HUGE! YUUUU, SAVE MEEE!" Lavi hastily took cover behind Kanda, who was deeply irritated by this.

_"Get the hell away from me!"_

"_Target Locked : #1471 and #3486._" A robotic voice suddenly announced out of nowhere.

Allen, Bak, and Lenalee immediately scurried out of the way as the giant syringe suddenly rolled towards its two targets at an unbelievable pace, its humongous metal sharp needle pointing outwards.

Lavi and Kanda screamed.

* * *

"Komui, get over it," Bak told the European Head briskly, watching Komui sobbing over Komuswinge's defeated body parts. "The most important thing is that you have to pay the repairs for the lobby."

"My Komuswinge..." Komui sniffed. "Kanda... how could you?!"

"That damn thing shouldn't be allowed to live for even three seconds!" Kanda snarled in response, sheathing his Mugen as Komui painfully threw the body parts into the garbage bin (which was quite large).

"He's right, nii-san!" Lenalee scolded her brother. "That thing was dangerous!"

Komui sighed dramatically.

"Well, there's no point in continuing the blood test now..."

"By the way, where did Lavi and Walker go?" Bak looked around the lobby; there was no sight of the mentioned exorcists.

"I heard them leave. Said something about the Bar Sun. They left us jewels, too," Marie answered.

Kanda looked livid.

_"That retarded rabbit... I'm going to send him to his grave..."_

Komui rubbed his hands together.

"Okay! My lovely Lenalee-chaaaan! Let's go have some dinner~!"

"But weren't we suppose to eat at the Bar Sun with Allen-kun and Lavi, Bak-san?" Lenalee asked the Asian Director.

Bak waved around an airy hand.

"It's fine. We'll catch up with them later. Since Komui is here, we should show him around."

"Actually, Bak," Komui whispered as Lenalee, Kanda, and Marie left the lobby to the streets outside, "I'm going to need your help tonight."

Bak blinked.

"What?"

* * *

"Th-that was seriously close." Lavi panted heavily, after he and Allen passed the hospital and the inn was no longer in sight. They had just left the building in between the chaos between Kanda and Komuswinge. "Kanda's going to beat the crap out of me if I come back." Lavi shivered dramatically.

There was a loud noise coming from Allen's stomach.

"Ugh, I'm hungry..."

Lavi grinned mischievously, causing the younger boy to look skeptical. He had seen enough of Lavi's freakish smiles.

"I have the jewels," the redhead admitted.

_What._

_"What?!"_ Allen cried in disbelief.

Lavi pulled out the money.

"You were right; it _was_ on the table."

"Lavi, you jerk! You made me search everywhere for nothing!"

"Hey, hey, I was gonna tell you but Komui came."

"Shouldn't we give Bak-san the money? They were suppose to eat with us, weren't they?"

"Don't worry, I remembered to toss Marie half of the jewels. And anyway, I am _not_ eating with Yu at the moment; he's going to murder me."

"And just how did you have time to do all that?"

The eyepatch boy looked smug. "Whaddya mean, how? I'm just awesome."

"I disagree."

"Mean! Well, whatever."

"Excuse me, can you please tell us where the Bar Sun is located?" Allen asked a young woman out on the street.

"Bar Sun? Oh my, you're a bit too young, aren't you?" The woman gave a kind laugh, eyeing the two boys.

"Miss, I can assure you, we're not drinkers," Allen replied, smiling and stepping firmly on Lavi's foot as the latter tried to hit on the woman.

"Haha, all right. If you pass Flowerbud Avenue down the road there by that sign and keep on going left, the Bar Sun is to your right, on the right side of the bridge near the river."

"Thank you very much."

"Ahhhh, such a beautiful woman," Lavi said dreamily, looking back at the lady who gave him a wave as they made their way to the bar. "The townspeople in this dimension are so kind and welcoming."

"It's probably because back in our world, there were always akumas attacking the towns. There was always chaos," said Allen. "So of course things are calmer and nicer here. People, unlike in our dimension, don't die everyday."

Lavi looked strained.

"You've brought up such a depressing topic," he muttered.

"I didn't mean to," the younger boy said hastily, "but back then, some people would kick us out of their town just because they were scared of us being exorcists." Allen gave a hollow laugh. "So really, I'm not used to this treatment either."

"It _is_ nice." Lavi smiled as an elderly man down the block waved and congratulated them for being fifth in the Games.

They passed Flowerbud Avenue and went left. Sure enough, there it was to their right, the Bar Sun, its sign lit by the moonlight in the darkening evening. They could make out the bridge and the glistening water.

"Augh, you _were_ right." Lavi grimaced as he caught a whiff of alcohol. "This is a bar..."

The younger boy looked up at the pub. It was two stories high, decoratively carved in wood, with two Sun-like symbols hovering over the entrance.

Lavi peered in one of the brightly lit windows.

"I can't see anything," he said impatiently, "the glass is too blurry."

"You know, I still don't understand why we actually came here to eat. Out of all the places in Crocus, you had to pick a bar?" Allen looked around the area. He could hear very loud voices of what seemed to be a crowd of people from inside and frowned.

"Aww, Allen, are the old days of General Cross haunting you?" Lavi teased.

"No, it's not that. I've just never heard a bar so noisy before."

"Anyway, let's go in. The noise from your stomach is driving me crazy."

"Well, at least I don't have to play poker for once," Allen said a bit more brightly as Lavi wrenched open the wooden door and they walked in.

"What the — ?!" Allen had a brief glimpse of an overcrowded bar before a huge, wooden barrel nearly struck him on the head; he managed to avoid it by ducking downwards, causing the barrel to fly over him.

"Whoops, my bad!" Someone dashed outside to retrieve the barrel.

Allen recognized the voice.

"_N-Natsu-san?!_" The white-haired boy looked baffled as Natsu turned around and blinked.

"Oh hey! You guys finally came! We've just started playing 'barrel-tobogganing'! Wanna join in?" Natsu held out the barrel invitingly.

"Oh, um, no thank you," Allen refused politely.

Natsu raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, Allen, your stomach is really noisy," he said conversationally, causing Allen to groan in embarrassment as Lavi sniggered. "Why don't you guys come in and eat? Party's on us!"

"I can't let you do that!" Allen exclaimed, as Natsu led the way inside, past his noisy guild where most of them were indeed playing barrel-tobogganing, to the bar counter, where a short elderly man was drinking with a young woman.

"Don't worry about it." A new voice spoke; Erza suddenly appeared. "Congratulations on being fifth in the Games," she told the exorcists.

Natsu, who was heaving the barrel, set it down and shouted at Makarov, who was chugging on his drink.

"Hey, Gramps! Food's on us, right?"

The 3rd Fairy Tail Master hiccuped.

"Of — _hic_— course! Help yourself, young lads!" he said to Allen and Lavi.

The young woman, who was quite a professional at drinking, set down her mug with triumph.

"Ahhhh, that felt good," she said, swaying a little. Noticing Allen, she turned around and asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Allen. Nice to meet you," he said formally, whipping out a hand for the female to shake. She did, drunkly.

"I'm Cana," she introduced herself drowsily, not noticing that she've been shaking his hand for more than ten seconds.

Allen was taken aback.

"I'm sorry, did you just say _Mana_?"

"_It's Cana!_" she replied loudly, making Allen wince.

_I could've sworn she said Mana... Actually, what am I thinking? Mana's not even a woman. _Allen tried to clear out his thoughts. He was obviously having a weird day. First he had that weird flashback, then Komui came with his Komuswinge, and now he've just mistaken a drunk lady for Mana.

Cana then suddenly collapsed head-first onto the counter, snoring loudly as she did so.

Erza shook her head as Allen and Lavi exchanged what-the-heck-just-happened looks.

"Don't bother," she told Allen, who was cautiously trying to prod Cana awake, "she's always like that."

"Allen! You gotta try this!" Natsu unexpectedly jumped into the conversation and led the white-haired boy to the buffet table. "That meat looks good, doesn't it?!"

"_Whoa! Is that goose?!_" Allen exclaimed excitedly. His mouth began to water as it always did when it came to food.

"By the way, Lavi." Allen heard Erza say to the redhead as he and Natsu quickly loaded up their arms with plates, "where's the rest of your team?"

"Ah, it's a rather long story," Lavi replied brightly, as he watched Allen carrying back eighty or so dishes to a table with Natsu, much to everyone's bewilderment.

"I see. Why don't you two join us?" Erza smiled at him. She was nodding her head towards a table that was occupied by Gray, Lucy, and Happy.

"Maaaaaaaaan, Allen, you can eat!" Natsu exclaimed gleefully, watching the white-haired exorcist gulping down his fifty-ninth dish.

"Like you're one to talk," Gray murmured from the next table, staring at the large number of plates beside the fire mage. Allen and Natsu brought so much food they practically had four whole tables to themselves.

"At this rate they're both going to empty the buffet table." Lucy sighed as Happy sniggered.

Erza turned to Lavi.

"So, I've been wondering for awhile," she began, her voice casual, "I didn't expect you to participate in the Games."

It was a statement rather than a question, and Lavi knew it.

"So you were wondering how you didn't expect us to participate in the Games?" he asked, sipping his soda.

Erza looked taken aback.

"That's right," she said slowly.

"We were worried when you both suddenly disappeared after the party in the Spirit World," Lucy suddenly chipped in.

"Oh... were you?" Lavi felt a guilty squirm. He tried to look at Allen for support, but the white-haired boy was busy stuffing himself with food and talking with Natsu to even notice.

Erza decided to cut to the chase.

"Where were you?" she asked curiously. "No, let me rephrase my question... _What_ are you?"

Lavi blinked, noting the emphasis in the question as they all looked at him expectantly. To their surprise, he gave them a smile.

"We're travelers," he admitted. It wasn't like he was lying or anything; they _were_ travelers. Technically.

He could see Erza, Gray, and Lucy exchanging meaningful looks and grimaced.

He knew what they were trying to ask him. But Bak had made him and the other exorcists swear that they were to steer clear of any suspicious questions that could blow their cover.

"Hey, look at this, everyone!" Mirajane Strauss suddenly appeared. She was holding up a newspaper. "Yajima-san made a commentary on all the guilds!" she told them excitedly.

The red-haired exorcist suddenly gagged on his drink, much to everyone's alarm.

"Sorry, can I borrow that — _thanks!_" He snatched the newspaper out of a bewildered Mirajane's hand and scanned the front cover feverishly, suddenly realizing something.

_"Allen!"_ Lavi nearly tripped over his feet as he got up from his chair. Erza and the rest looked confused at his sudden outburst.

"'Ot 'ar 'ou 'ooing, 'Abi?" Allen asked (What are you doing, Lavi?).

"Allen! I just noticed! Look at this!" Lavi hissed, shoving the newspaper under Allen's nose.

Trying to swallow the alarming amount of food occupied in his mouth, the white-haired teen read the headline of the article Lavi was pointing to while Natsu watched them unconcernedly.

_Grand Magic Games : Year X791 Commentary_

Allen frowned and sipped his water, trying to wash down the food.

"What is it?"

"Look at the _year_!"

Allen nearly choked.

* * *

"Whaaaaaaaaat! You're leaving already?!" Natsu exclaimed, looking disappointed.

"Yeah, it's what? Nine?" Lavi peered at the clock hanging on the wall.

"Thank you very much for the refreshments." Allen bowed gratefully to the Fairy Tail mages.

"You don't have to bow," Gray muttered, although he looked pleased.

"We'll see you tomorrow at the Games," Lucy said cheerfully to them.

"I'm not gonna lose to you!" Natsu declared with a fiery passion.

The exorcists smiled and departed.

"Aw... I wish they could've stayed longer!" Natsu pouted, once the bar doors closed. "I was gonna have a food contest with Allen!"

Totally oblivious to the skeptical looks on his teammates' faces, Natsu and Happy rushed back to the buffet table, stuffing themselves once more.

"Erza..." Lucy began slowly, "you were right; something is off about them."

"What do you mean by 'off'?" Gray asked.

"Well... Allen seems more genuine, but Lavi's more..."

"Insightful." Erza nodded. "If this was a matter of asking who was the most suspicious, I would say Lavi. It's clear to me he's a quick-thinker and a lot more observant. So be careful around him. But don't drop your guard on Allen too," she said warningly.

"That Lavi... He didn't give a good enough answer... Actually _you_ didn't ask him a specific enough question." Gray rounded on Erza.

"True, but it was all I could do to not sound suspicious," Erza replied calmly. "And anyway, I believe he said that answer on purpose."

Gray seemed to remember something.

"Do you remember what the emcee said at the inauguration?"

"Be a bit more specific, Gray," Erza told him wearily, "the emcee said a hundred things today."

"When Apostles came out. The those chosen by God part."

Erza's eyes widen.

"Of course." She smacked her head with her armored hand painfully, causing Lucy and Gray to wince. "'Those chosen by God'... That's definitely suspicious."

"So, you think they're connected to this mysterious power Jellal mentioned?" Lucy asked her.

"We haven't had any real leads, but I think it's likely. But let's not forget, it's not just them, there's also Raven Tail and Sabertooth."

"This feels weird," Lucy muttered. "Are they friends? Or are they enemies?"

Neither Gray or Erza replied.

Meanwhile, the barman just passed Makarov the bill.

"KYAAA! WHO'S THE IDIOT THAT ATE MORE THAN FIFTY DISHES?!"

"Wait," the barman interrupted, "this one too." He passed forward a larger bill.

Makarov paled.

"AND WHO'S THIS OTHER IDIOT THAT ATE MORE THAN A HUNDRED DISHES?!"

Natsu guffawed.

"Allen eats a loooooooot!"

* * *

"I can't believe this," Allen said in disbelief, as he and Lavi trotted their way back to the Great Caramel Inn, "we practically went back in_ time!_"

"No, I don't think so," Lavi muttered. "I'm not sure we went back in time; for all we know, X791 could mean the 1800's... or it could refer to the 90's in this world..."

"I don't get it..."

"The timeline must be different here. I mean, it _is_ completely different from our world, yeah? We'll never know whether or not we traveled through time because this place has its own sequence of events."

"That makes sense..."

"But there's one more thing : the Gate number." Lavi frowned.

"What about it?"

"The Gate number is 777, and in this world, it's the year of 791... Considering the first numbers to be both seven, there has to be a connection between the Ark and this dimension, right?"

"You're right... I can't believe we didn't notice that before," Allen murmured, his panic subsiding. Now that he knew what timeline they were currently in, it suddenly made the situation seem so real to him; that he really was in a different dimension where there was magic, flying cats and other absurd things. He was even starting to doubt Innocence being the source of this all.

"And also... Yajima..." Lavi muttered under his breath.

"Eh? Did you say something, Lavi?"

"What? Oh, no, I didn't say anything."

"Lavi. Allen-kun." A voice in the dark suddenly startled the two exorcists.

Allen saw the outline of Lenalee and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lenalee, you scared us for a second..."

"Sorry. You guys aren't used to seeing me in the dark, huh? Anyway, I've been waiting for you two."

"Aren't you always?" Allen smiled as Lenalee sighed in amusement.

"Is this about the investigation thing?" Lavi asked, readjusting his headband.

"Yep. Kanda and Marie-san already took off towards the arena."

"Oh... Where's Bak-san?"

Lenalee shrugged. "Komui-niisan needed him for something."

"But about the arena — how will we get in?" Lavi asked as the older girl took the lead, walking at a fast pace.

"Actually, I heard that we're allowed _inside_ the arena, but not_ on_ the field. You do know the arena is practically a two-story building, right?" said Lenalee.

"Really?" said Allen, interested by this piece of news.

"They have an infirmary for the injured, and there are a bunch of rooms. But for the most part, the levels are filled with long hallways."

"Hm..." Allen looked thoughtful, wondering how Lenalee knew so much.

"And have you two heard of Mercurius, the Flower Light Palace?" Lenalee asked as they turned a corner. She was walking so fast, the two boys were practically jogging after her.

"No," puffed Lavi, "what about it? And could you slow down a bit, Lena?"

"Sorry, you know how impatient Kanda can get; Bak-san said we can only start searching for the Innocence when we're all together. I don't know why — security reasons or something. And Mercurius is the castle in which the King of Fiore lives in." Lenalee all said this very quickly.

"They have a castle here?" Allen exclaimed incredulously.

"Uh-huh. Can you see it?" The Chinese girl stopped in her tracks and stuck out a finger, pointing to the right.

Allen could see it. Faraway, amid the hundreds of houses and shops, Mercurius was easily the most largest and tallest structure in Crocus, possibly even surpassing the arena for the Games. Even in the dark, he could make out the castle.

"And the King lives in there?"

Lavi let out a low whistle.

"Not bad... But I think Kro-chan's castle was bigger."

Lenalee's diamond-shaped golem suddenly ascended out of nowhere.

"_Did you find them yet?!_" Kanda's angry voice spoke through the night.

"I did!" Lenalee answered back hastily, as Allen rolled his eyes at Kanda's tone.

_"Good. Tell the rabbit I'm going to slice him up when he comes."_ Lavi winced as the line went off, apparently having forgotten that Kanda was after his head.

"Let's hurry!" Lenalee said anxiously, activating the bangles around her boots. She burst off at an extremely quick pace, much to her teammates' displeasure.

"Lenalee! That's cheating!"

* * *

The entrance at the arena was empty except for two people when they finally arrived. Sure enough, a glowering Kanda was glaring at them.

"You, get over here so I can quickly send you to your death," he barked at Lavi, who cowered a little.

"Kanda, is this really the time to end Lavi's life? At least let him live for an hour or so, so that he can help with the investigation," Lenalee chipped in wearily.

"You think lowly of me too, huh, Lena?"

Bak's voice suddenly went on from Kanda's golem, luckily extending Lavi's lifespan.

_"Are Walker and Lavi present yet?"_

"Present," Allen and Lavi replied in unison.

_"Good job. All right, before you begin, you should have a golem with you. Who doesn't have one?"_

"I don't," said Lavi and Allen, and Bak sighed.

_"You both don't have a golem...? It's a miracle that Lenalee found you. Okay, so how many golems do we currently have?"_

"Three," Lenalee responded. "Mine, Kanda's, and Marie-san's."

_"All right, spilt yourselves up into three teams. Two teams of two, and one team of one."_

"But isn't that risky? The odd person will be left out," Allen interjected.

_"It's the best we can do for now,"_ Bak replied.

The exorcists positioned themselves up : Allen and Lenalee, Kanda and Marie, and Lavi was by himself.

_"Are you all good to go? All right. Now, I want you look around carefully for any strange phenomenon, but try to get to the field as close as you can,"_ Bak ordered. _"Actually, pick a station accordingly too. I don't want all of you searching around the field all at once."_

It was settled; Kanda and Marie would search around the field while Allen and Lenalee would look around the entrance, the bridge connected to the town, and the back. Lavi would search inside the arena.

_"Contact me if any of you have managed to find a lead. Is that clear?"_

"Yes," they all replied, and shot off towards their stations.

* * *

No one said getting close to the field was an easy job at first. Kanda and Marie nearly went and showed themselves to two Fiore guards, who were blocking the entrance to the field.

"Tch, how the hell can we look for the Innocence when they're here?" Kanda said impatiently, watching the first guard picking his nose. "Marie, is there another route?"

"Only the way we came in."

"Tch," Kanda said again, "this is a pain in the ass... cover me if anyone comes by."

Quickly and silently, Kanda sprinted up towards the two guards, who both only had a bewildered glimpse of him before sinking to the ground, apparently unconscious.

"Let's go, Marie," Kanda called, making his way smoothly out onto the field.

* * *

"Can you feel anything weird, Allen-kun?"

"Nope."

Allen and Lenalee looked up and down at the stone bridge they were standing on.

"If only we had an Innocence detector," Allen said glumly, walking around.

"You know, what if the Innocence took another form? You told me about Lala, the doll who had the Innocence as her heart, right? What if there's someone like that here?" Lenalee asked.

"True..." But the only image that popped into Allen's mind was the talking pumpkin.

The Chinese girl suddenly blinked.

"Hey, Allen-kun?"

"Hm?"

"Do you see something weird over there?"

Allen spun around, looking at one of the arena statutes Lenalee was pointing at.

"Nothing's there, Lenalee," he said, turning back to her disappointedly.

She blinked.

"But I could've sworn I saw a black shape..."

"Must've been your imagination?"

* * *

Walking in the hallways at night wasn't Lavi's cup of tea. He hated dark and eerie areas; specifically places like Krory's old castle.

Thankfully, the lights were on in the arena, and Lavi could distantly hear people in some of the rooms he passed by.

So he walked down the hallway quite cheerfully, keeping an eye out for any strange presence.

That is, until he felt a weird sensation like someone was following him.

The redhead turned around abruptly. The hallway was deserted, but _still_ Lavi couldn't brush off that ominous feeling.

_I can't get sidetracked,_ he scolded himself, and continued walking, _I have to focus on locating the Innocence first. Besides, it's not like some mad person is walking behind me..._

"You!" A sudden voice from behind nearly made him piss his pants. Lavi nearly yelped as he whipped around, his hand clutching onto his deactivated Innocence like a lifeline.

An elderly pink-haired woman was giving him a glowering look that could rival Kanda's.

_Holy shit, there really IS a mad person walking behind me!_

He gulped noisily as she took in his appearance.

"You're that Apostles boy," she interjected coldly before he could say anything. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing."

"You came to the arena just to do nothing?"

"I —"

He was interrupted by a weak voice calling out from somewhere down the hallway.

"Porlyusica-san?"

_Wendy?_ Lavi vaguely thought, recognizing the speaker.

"You, come with me." The woman, apparently named Porlyusica, took off down the hall, a bemused Lavi trotting in her footsteps. He felt like he was just caught red-handed, which was weird, because all he had been doing was just walking.

He stared at the elderly woman's pink-colored hair.

_Is she Natsu's mom? No... She's way too old... His grandma maybe? Nah... There's a lot of pink-haired people in this world..._

Porlyusica came to an abrupt stop just in front of a half-opened door labeled _Infirmary._ She opened it all the way, beckoning Lavi to get inside.

Lavi squeezed past her, and was surprised to see Lucy in the room, Carla in her arms.

"Lavi?"

"Lucy?"

* * *

Happy the Exceed sneezed.

"Hey, Natsu, I think I'm getting sick," he told his partner groggily.

"Want my scarf? You can cover yourself up."

"Oh yeah! I have a scarf in my bag. Thanks, Natsu." Happy opened his mini backpack and took out an Exceed-sized blue scarf, covering himself up like a ninja.

"I can't wait till tomorrow!" Natsu said excitedly, walking down the stone bridge to the entrance of the arena.

"Will Wendy get better?" Ninja-Happy asked hopefully.

"Let's go see! Lucy's already in the infirmary." The fire mage took two huge leaps before noticing something.

"Hey... There's people at the entrance..."

He sniffed.

"This smell... _It's Allen!_"

* * *

Lucy stared in confusion as Porlyusica shut the door, immediately tending to a weak Wendy while Lavi stood awkwardly in one corner. She didn't understand; what was Lavi doing here?

"You're squishing me too hard!" The white Exceed in her arms hissed, turning blue.

"Oh, sorry, Carla!"

"Um... Is Wendy okay?" The redhead asked timidly, watching Porlyusica conjuring up some complicated-looking potion.

"Her fever is going up," the elderly woman replied harshly.

Wendy, who was looking very sick indeed, moved her head to look at the exorcist.

"Oh, Lavi-san... So you didn't disappear after all..." she said weakly, giving him a smile.

"Nope." Lavi smiled back. It looked strangely real to Lucy.

"I'm glad..." Wendy coughed multiple times. Carla flew out of Lucy's arms and scolded her.

"Don't talk so much! Just rest!" she said crossly, and Wendy nodded, closing her eyes.

"You," Porlyusica barked at Lavi, making him jump, "I don't usually ask humans for favors, but I need you to head to the storage room and pick up this list of supplies. It's for the girl." She threw a piece of parchment at him.

"Uh?" said Lavi, a bit dazed.

"Since you've got nothing better to do, make yourself useful," Porlyusica snapped. "And you, tag along with him," she added coldly to Lucy, who looked startled, "there's no point in just waiting for the girl to get better."

* * *

"Maaaan, Allen, we sure meet up in unexpected places, huh?" Natsu gave a toothy grin as Allen smiled.

The fire mage nearly gave him a heart attack. Allen was checking the flower beds when Natsu suddenly bounced on him out of nowhere, making him shriek like a girl.

"It's a small world," he agreed. "By the way, this is Lenalee" — the Chinese exorcist bowed politely to Natsu — "my friend."

"Whoa! You're that girl Lucy bumped into!" Natsu and Happy burst out excitedly, now recognizing Lenalee.

"Ah! So her name was Lucy!" Lenalee snapped her fingers in realization. "Ohhhhh wait, now that I've thought about it, this Lucy must be the same Lucy you've mentioned, right, Allen-kun?"

"Lenalee, you sure are slow..."

The fire mage introduced himself to Lenalee cheerfully.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail! The soon-to-be number one guild in Fiore!" Natsu and Ninja-Happy struck a heroic pose that made Allen and Lenalee laugh.

"So, what're ya doin' here?" Natsu asked, scratching his nose.

"Just looking around," Allen replied, somewhat strained. Although he was rather pleased to see Natsu, how on earth can they resume searching for the Innocence with the fire mage hanging around?

* * *

_This is awkward.._. Lucy thought to herself as she and Lavi made their way silently to the storage room. When she'd first met Lavi, he was totally head over heels for her, but now, the air in between them was like ice. It was strange, indeed.

"So..." Lucy began, trying to break up the tension, "where are you from?"

Lavi didn't reply right away. He was staring down at Porlyusica's list of supplies.

_Crap. Did I say something wrong? Wait, all I did was ask a simple question... But wait, he didn't answer me... Augh, this is so awkward... Allen was easier to talk to..._

"London."

"Eh?" Lucy blinked; did he just answer her?

"I come from London," Lavi repeated.

"London? That's interesting..." There was a London in Fiore? She had never heard of it, but then again, she was asleep for seven years; London might've been one of those newly constructed towns.

_Ah, the world is so strange,_ Lucy shook her head in amusement.

Lavi, who caught her expression, smiled. To her surprise, it was one of those genuine ones, as opposed to the somewhat forced smile he gave her, Erza, and Gray in the bar.

Seizing the chance to keep up this friendly atmosphere, she noticed his uniform and said, "You changed your coat, right? It looks cool! Red suits you better. And I just noticed, you wear a scarf just like Natsu does!"

Lavi smiled again.

"Natsu's scarf is cooler. A scarf given by a dragon; that's pretty awesome."

"Nice eyepatch, too. Are you a pirate wannabe?"

"Am not!" Lavi cried, and Lucy laughed. She noticed that they turned left into another corridor.

"Lavi? The storage room is suppose to be in the other direction," she told him bemusedly.

"Oh, I just want to take a quick look around first. Is that okay?" The redhead asked, once again offering her a smile.

"Sure."

_Well, in any case, looks like I kinda broke the ice..._ Lucy thought as Lavi readjusted his eyepatch.

"I saw your fight with Flare. That was really unexpected. I thought you were going to win for sure."

Lucy stopped a bit in her tracks. Some of the terrible weight she had been carrying ever since her battle with Flare seemed to have lifted a bit.

"Really?" she asked, sounding both surprised and pleased as they walked down a flight of stairs.

"Really." Lavi gave another smile.

"Hey, can I ask you something? Apostles are people who were messengers of God, right?" Lucy asked excitedly, much to Lavi's surprise. "I used to read stories about them."

"Stories?"

"Usually fairy tale versions that a four-year-old me back then could understand."

Lavi laughed, the first time Lucy had seen him do so. It was strangely refreshing.

"Oh, we're here," she said, coming to a halt in front of the storage room.

Lavi blinked. "The heck? That was fast."

"Well, there are only two floors in this arena after all," The Fairy Tail mage grinned as the exorcist made an "ahhh" sound.

"So what's on the list?"

"Xenotassium, Innocilim, and some gibberish thing I can't pronounce," Lavi replied. He hesitated. "Can I look for the Innocilim?"

"Innocilim...? Sure, no problem," said Lucy.

Lavi wrenched open the door just as Lucy suddenly remembered something.

"Ah! Lavi! I forgot to mention that the potions will fall out if you open the door too fast!"

"Y'know, you could've said that like, five seconds ago," the exorcist muttered. He was now completely drenched in some gooey formula from a bottle that fell when the door was opened.

Lucy couldn't help it. She burst out laughing.

Her laughter was contagious; even Lavi joined in.

* * *

"— and so, I was like, _bam! bam! wham!_ Ya know what I mean, Allen?"

"What? Oh— _hic_— yes."

Allen groaned. Natsu had been talking about his battles in the labyrinth for the umpteenth time. He and Lenalee had searched every centimeter of the entrance, the bridge and the back (with Natsu and Happy blabbering on beside them, completely unaware of what the exorcists were doing), and to his disappointment, they haven't found any leads. The only mysterious thing he managed to find was a glowing flower that made him hiccup.

Natsu yawned widely.

"Man, I'm tired!" he said. "I was gonna met up with Luce, but I guess I'll call it a night."

"Luce?" Allen blinked. "You mean Lucy-san?"

"Yeah. She's in the infirmary. Anyway, if you see her, tell her I said good night. See ya guys tomorrow! I'm not gonna lose!"

"Eh? In the infirmary? Just a minute, Natsu-san, I'm not a messenger b..." Allen trailed off as the fire mage and the Exceed took off towards the bridge drowsily.

Lenalee sighed.

"He's a really talkative one."

"Yeah... But he's a good person. Anyway, we should contact Bak-san." Allen took out Lenalee's golem.

_"This is Bak Chang."_

"Bak-san, it's Allen and Lenalee. We've searched the entrance, the bridge, and the back, but so far, no luck on our side."

There was a pause on the other line.

_"I see... That's too bad then. Well, you two can head back."_

"Without informing the others?"

_"I'll let them know."_

"All right."

* * *

"This is damn disgusting," Kanda growled, eyeing the littered floor that was full of trash, spoiled food, and empty cups. He and Marie were checking the audience seats.

"In a way, I'm rather glad we weren't in the audience," Marie murmured as he cautiously stepped around a large bit of stinky cheese.

"There's no way the Innocence is here. It's full of garbage." Kanda scanned the large number of seats.

"It's also nowhere near the field too," Marie added.

Going back into the hallway, Kanda summoned his golem.

_"Bak speaking."_

"This was all a waste of time. There's no Innocence here," Kanda snarled.

_"Really...? I was so sure it was around the field..."_

"If you're so sure, why don't you fucking search yourself?"

Bak winced.

_"Kanda, watch your language and calm down. I guess I was wrong. You and Marie can head back to the inn now."_

Bak's line went off, and Marie was about to walk out of the field when he realized that Kanda hadn't moved an inch.

"Kanda?"

"Did you hear that?" Kanda suddenly asked sharply.

Marie listened. There was a rustling noise nearby for a second or so, and then the sound stopped.

Kanda glanced around.

"Anything there?" Marie asked.

"No."

"Must've been the wind."

* * *

Porlyusica stared in bewilderment as a gooey Lavi trotted back to the infirmary, along with Lucy who was grinning widely.

"What happened?" she asked briskly, covering her nostrils with her hands; Lavi reeked strongly of cabbage. "Did you break one of my bottles, boy?"

"Yes," the exorcist mumbled, and the elderly woman looked displeased.

"I send you off to do a simple task and you can't even accomplish it properly?" she said icily.

"We got the supplies though," Lucy chipped in hurriedly, pushing the three bottles into Porlyusica's arms before the woman could do something like murder Lavi.

"The least you could very do..." The elderly woman turned her back on them, already mixing up the formulas.

"What?"

"Get out. Your job is done, and the little girl needs to rest." She gave them a glowering look and both Lavi and Lucy hurried out of the room.

"She's scary," Lavi muttered as they walked away from the infirmary a good ten feet or so. "Ew. I hate this gooey stuff." He tried scraping off the sticky substance but it wouldn't budge.

Although she felt sorry for the red-haired boy, Lucy couldn't help but laugh.

He grinned at her.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Of course! Did I ever tell you that when I was a little girl, I stuck my hand into a pot of sticky rice and accidentally fell face-first into it? The cook was so angry at me!" Lucy laughed again, no doubt remembering the memory.

Lavi chuckled. "You stuck your hand into a pot of rice? Who does that?"

Lucy pouted. "I was trying to make onigiri!"

Lavi shook his head and smiled.

"Oh yeah, do you know what time it is?"

"It's eleven."

"Crap! I gotta get back!" Lavi readjusted his eyepatch one last time.

Lucy looked slightly disappointed. "Where are you staying at?"

"Hm? Oh, the Great Caramel Inn. Anyway, I gotta rush. See you tomorrow!"

The stellar spirit mage smiled as she watched Lavi tripping every few steps down the hallway. Somehow, the terrible weight she seemed to be carrying around was gone.

* * *

"Whaaaaat?! They all went back without me?! Those traitors!" Lavi cried at Marie's golem once he was outside.

_"Yes. You sure took a long time though, Lavi. Did you find any leads?"_ Bak asked hopefully.

"Sadly, no," Lavi replied glumly, as goo kept dripping down from his hair.

_"You too? Well, at least we know the Innocence isn't around the arena... Anyway, you can head back. Komui and I are taking room 281, you'll be in room 294 with the others."_

"Sure."

Lavi sighed as the golem went back into his pocket. He had accomplished nothing during his search, unless you count breaking one of the potion bottles. His heart had leapt at the word 'Innocilim' when he'd first saw it, but to his disappointment it turned out to be some medicine.

He suddenly frowned.

There it was again, the ominous feeling, like someone was watching him.

He turned around casually, and heard a noise. It was a rustle, really, like an animal hidden in the bushes.

* * *

There was a knock on the door of room 294. Allen opened it and jumped back in alarm as Lavi entered, torturing his nostrils with the smell of spoiled cabbage.

"Lavi, what on _earth_ happened?" Allen asked, covering his nose as Lenalee joined them at the front to see what the commotion was about. She giggled.

"Augh, you need to take a bath, Lavi!"

"Obviously," Bookman's apprentice muttered. "How'd it go with you guys?"

"We didn't find a thing. Well, I found this flower that made me hiccup. You?"

Lavi grimaced. "I had to look for this thing called Innocilim. I thought it was Innocence at first, but it turned out to be some medicine."

He groaned when they both doubled up in laughter.

* * *

Bak sighed for the umpteenth time that night.

"Still feeling down?" said Komui, who was observing something through his microscope at the table.

"I can't believe the investigation was an utter waste of time." Bak groaned, sitting down in a chair and putting his head in his hands.

"Maybe they didn't search properly. You did say you could feel a strange source around the arena."

"No." Bak grimaced. "When I first came here, I met this lady who said that _she_ could feel a strange presence around the arena."

Komui pushed his glasses further up his nose.

"And you took her word for it?" he asked, bemused.

"It was the only lead I had." Bak sighed.

"Hm... Bak, take a look at this." Komui beckoned the Asian Head to come forward. He was holding up a test tube that was full of red liquid with black splotches.

"What's that?" Bak asked curiously.

"Allen's blood."

The Asian Head was stunned. He turned to face Komui.

"No... that can't be..."

"Unfortunately, it is," Komui said calmly, a bit of bitterness in his tone. "If you look closely, those black spots are dark matter."

"Dark matter?" Bak asked sharply. "Komui... you're not telling me that...?"

"That dark matter is inside Allen? I'm serious."

"No... no, it can't be... that's impossible..." Bak looked lost. "There's no way something like that can enter Walker's bloodstream."

"Bak, this is proof enough," Komui said wearily. "I'm not sure how it got inside Allen; in fact, I don't think Allen even knows about this. But here's the worst part : the dark matter will continue to spread over his body. It's the type of substance that strengthens over time."

_"Can't you remove it?!"_

"Krory can suck the matter out... But he's currently on a mission with Miranda... However, this all doesn't make sense."

"W-what are you talking about?"

"If dark matter enters someone's flesh, the person will solidify and break," Komui explained. "However, for some reason, this isn't happening to Allen."

"W-why not? He's human, isn't he?"

"All right. Let me explain it again. If dark matter enters a _non-akuma_ or _non-Noah_ flesh, they will solidify and break. In other words, dark matter does not negatively effect akumas or Noahs. It actually strengthens their powers."

Bak was lost for words.

"So... Walker's... Walker's a...?"

Komui nodded.

Bak's legs were oddly feeling like jelly, and he shakily sat back down.

"What the _hell_ are we suppose to do now?" he croaked.

* * *

Back at the infirmary, Porlyusica frowned.

"What did you see?" she asked Carla.

"Er... Well, you know... Some fragments..." The Exceed was panting rather quickly. "The White Knights... A giant magic array..."

"Anything else?"

Carla hesitated.

"Mercurius collapsing... And Lucy... Lucy singing..."

* * *

**Second Day : July 2nd, X791**

* * *

_"Welcome, everyone, to the Grand Magic Games' second day game portion : Chariot!"_ Chapati Lola announced to the cheering crowd. _"The game consists of reaching the goal without falling off of the interconnected vehicles!"_

"COOOOOOOOOLLLL!" The Games' Day Two guest, _Sorcerer Magazine'_s reporter, Jason, yelled wildly.

"But this isn't just some regular race!" Yajima added.

_"That's right! Because the vehicles are always moving, just one step of carelessness can lead to a misstep!"_ Chapati explained. _"The participants are just passing through Crocus right now! Which team will be the first to arrive here at Domus Flau?! We'll be transmitting images from the race to everyone here via Lacrima Vision."_

Everyone in the stadium stared at the screens, dumbstruck.

_"Well, Yajima-san, who could've predicted this turn of events!?"_

"Why did Natsu sign up for this... that idiot..." Gray muttered, nearly face-palming.

"You'd think he'd be able to tell what the event would be from the name 'Chariot'!" Lucy groaned.

"It's Natsu. Once he makes up his mind, he won't listen," said Erza.

_"Oh my, ladies and gentlemen! Trailing at the back, far from the lead, Fairy Tail A's Natsu is in a groggy state!"_

"Aughhhhh I-I-I don't feel so g-g-good..." Natsu looked like he was going to vomit. Or pass out. Or maybe both.

_"And right next to him, Fairy Tail B's Gajeel and EVEN SABERTOOTH'S Sting are in the same condition..."_

"WHAAAAAT?!" Many of the spectators cried. "Even Sting?!"

"W-W-Why did I..." Gajeel hastily held up a hand to his mouth.

"G-Get away from m-me, G-Gajeel, I don't wanna s-step in your b-barf..." Natsu nearly wobbled out of the chariot.

"S-Shut up! The one with b-bad transportation should b-be you..."

_"Just what on earth is going on?"_ The emcee cried as everyone in the arena stared up at the Lacrimas in shock.

"Those three seem to have something in common," mused Yajima.

"COOOOOOLLL!"

"Shut up please, Jason-san..."

"What's wrong with Gajeel?!" Lily the Exceed cried, watching his partner wobbling on the chariot.

"Motion sickness is suppose to be Natsu's trademaaaaaaaark!" Happy bawled. "Don't steal it from him!"

"Ooooh, is this what it means to be 'all fired up'?" Orga of Sabertooth sniggered at the three Dragon Slayers.

"This is so 'basic', huh?" Rufus smirked at Rogue, who didn't reply.

_"Er, well then... Let's take a look at those who are up ahead... Wow, it's a dead heat here! In the lead is Raven Tail's Kurohebi with Apostles' Lenalee right behind him!"_

"GO, MY LENALEE-CHAAAAAAAAAAAN!" Komui yelled out from the audience, while Bak looked annoyed.

"W-W-What?! Allen and Gravy's team are in the lead?!" Natsu suddenly clutched at his mouth.

"Salamander! If you're going to vomit, vomit on the newbie!" Gajeel growled.

_"What did you say?!"_ Sting yelled back.

"I can't believe Lenalee's in the lead..." Allen stared at the screen in shock.

"She won't be able to keep it up any longer," said Lavi, "her crystal-type Dark Boots are already activated at level two."

"Yeah... she's sweating really bad..." said Allen worriedly.

_"Right behind Apostles' Lenalee are Lamia Scale's Yuka and Mermaid Heel's Risley! And further behind is Blue Pegasus's Ichiya..."_

"Men!" Ichiya cried, "I can't keep up!"

Hibiki and Ren groaned. "One of us should've went instead..."

"This is hopeless..." Lucy muttered, watching the fire mage trying not to retch.

"It's too late now..." Erza said glumly. She looked at Lenalee in the other screen.

"That girl from Apostles... I'm amazed she can keep up with Raven Tail..." Gray commented as the chariot turned a sharp corner and Natsu, Gajeel, and Sting nearly toppled off.

"She's even wearing heels!" Elfman cried.

"But what type of magic is that?" Lucy asked curiously, as a massive energy of light was unfurling from the heels of Lenalee's boots.

"Team Apostles are full of mysteries, aren't they?" said Elfman.

Erza frowned in Allen and Lavi's direction.

"Indeed."

* * *

Lenalee was sweating, trying to match Kurohebi's pace.

_W-What's up with this guy?! He's not even breaking a sweat!_ She gritted her teeth and balanced herself as the chariot made another sharp turn. She heard Yuka yell out an attack from behind.

_"__**Wave Boost!**__"_

"Oh no!" she yelled as Yuka passed her, unfolding a swirling impact of wind that caused her to slow down.

_"Ah! Lamia Scale's Yuka has just overtaken Apostles' Lenalee! Meanwhile, Mermaid Heel's Risley has just dodged Yuka's attack and is now running on the side of the chariot due to her gravity transformation!"_ The emcee cried to roaring cheers and yells.

"I'm not going to lose!" Ichiya exclaimed. "A wave that nullifies magic... In that case" — he stuck two tubes into his nostrils — _"__**Fleet-Foot Perfume : Zero Distance Inhalation!**__"_

_"You've got to be kidding me!"_ Lenalee cried as Ichiya burst past her.

_"What a turn of events! Apostles' Lenalee was just overtaken three times!"_

"THREEEEEEE TIMES?!" Komui and Bak burst out, looking hysterical.

_If I can't keep up with their pace... All right! I got this!_ Lenalee stopped in her tracks.

_"__**Falling Technique : Iron Shackles!**__"_ With a huge bang that made everyone cry out, Lenalee jumped up and stomped down on the chariot with such impact that it caused everyone else who were still connected to it to be tossed into the air.

_"G-Good lord! Lenalee Lee has just destroyed the chariot! A-And now she's overtaking the other leads!"_ Chapati cried, as everyone gasped.

"WHAT KIND OF STRENGTH IS THAAAAAAT?!" Gray and Lucy cried.

"She destroyed the chariot?!" Erza gasped.

"Well, it's a good thing they're nearly at the goal! If the chariot has stopped moving, Natsu can still make it!" Elfman pointed out.

"GAHHHHHHH NOW I REALLY DON'T FEEL SO GOOD!" Natsu bellowed, flying back down into the chariot and smashing face-first.

"That Lenalee..." Lavi cringed a little as Yuka and Ichiya fell down from the sky.

"Looks like we have another competitive one who doesn't like to lose," Allen muttered, after looking in Kanda's direction.

"Hm?" Kurohebi looked behind him just for a second — and blinked when Lenalee went whizzing past him, heading straight towards the goal.

"I WINNN!" Lenalee cried as she crossed the goal to defeatening roars.

_"AMAZINNNG! APOSTLES RECEIVES TEN POINTS!"_

"YES! YES! YES! MY LENALEEEEEEE!" Komui was sobbing on a handkerchief while Bak waved around the team flag.

Lavi and Allen were dumbstruck.

"I didn't really expect her to win..."

"Ouchburnsizzle, man..."

"There was someone like that in Apostles...?" Makarov was stunned.

"They must be very strong..." Mavis glanced at Lenalee as the exorcist trotted her way back to her team triumphantly.

"First place!" she burst out excitedly to Lavi and Allen.

"That was great. I can't believe you won, Lenalee." Allen smiled at her.

"By using a dirty tactic..." Lavi muttered in a low voice, so that Lenalee did not hear him.

_"And coming in second is Raven Tail's Kurohebi! Third, Mermaid Heel's Risley! Fourth, Lamia Scale's Yuka and fifth, Blue Pegasus' Ichiya!"_

"All the other teams already made it!" Gray cried.

Chapati scratched his head as the Lacrimas directed themselves onto the three lagging Dragon Slayers.

_"And er... The remaining three are pathetically battling it out..."_

"Y-You gotta be serious... Allen and G-Gravy's team is in first?!" Natsu wobbled, bumping into Gajeel.

"I'm fine with transportation, I'm fine with transportation," Gajeel keep muttering, "I'm _suppose_ to be fine with transportation..."

"Heh," said Sting, at an attempt to look smug even though he looked like he was going to vomit, "t-this is a real Dragon Slayer, you know... Looks like you finally got a-accustomed to it... Congratulations..."

"Shut up you newbie!" Gajeel purposefully lunged himself sideways at Natsu and Sting, attempting to throw them off the vehicle.

"Whaaaaaaaaat are you doing?!" Natsu cried, as Sting lunged at Gajeel, squishing him in the process. "I'm still in the middle, you bastards!"

The audience began to laugh out loud.

"They're laughing again..." Allen said in disgust, scanning the audience.

"But what's wrong with them?" Lavi asked, bemused.

"Well, Natsu-san said he was a Dragon Slayer, so maybe that's why he's so unbalanced?" Allen replied uncertainly.

"THAT'S IT! I'M GOING FORWARD!" Natsu pushed himself out of the tight gap between Sting and Gajeel and mustered every bit of energy he had left to walk forward towards the goal.

"Don't get there before me, Salamander!" Gajeel followed after the fire mage.

Sting watched, still rooted to the spot as Natsu and Gajeel, sweating profusely, walked towards the goal, each step they took looking painful and pathetic.

"Can I ask you just one thing? Why did you guys enter the Games?"

The whole stadium was suddenly silent.

"This would've been unthinkable for the Fairy Tail in the past," Sting went on. "Why? Aren't you afraid of ruining your reputation?"

"Why? It's for our comrades," Natsu replied, as he took another painful step. "For seven years while we were gone, they were always waiting for us... No matter how tough it was, no matter how sad they were... Even though they were made fools out of, they endured and endured and protected the guild... For seven years... Fairy Tail is still here... So for the sake of our comrades, we'll show you —"

Sting looked startled as Natsu and Gajeel both took gigantic leaps.

"— THE PROOF THAT FAIRY TAIL HAS KEPT GOING! AND THAT'S WHY WE'LL KEEP MOVING FORWARD!" Natsu bellowed, crossing the goal with Gajeel.

_"GOAAAAAL! FAIRY TAIL A'S NATSU, SIXTH PLACE, 2 POINTS! FAIRY TAIL B'S GAJEEL, SEVENTH PLACE, 1 POINT! SABERTOOTH'S STING GIVES UP! ZERO POINTS!"_

All at once, the guild members of Fairy Tail started to bawl.

_"Natsu!"_

_"Wahhhhhhhh!"_ Makarov bawled, as Mavis smiled.

"That was a really —_ are you guys crying?!_" Lavi stared at Allen and Lenalee in bewilderment.

"You didn't?" Lenalee sniffed, dabbing at her eyes.

"Well, no — "

"You're so heartless, Lavi..."

The audience now looked at Fairy Tail with new respect.

"Look at their determination..."

"I was a bit moved..."

"Fairy Tail is kinda cool... I'm gonna cheer for them!"

Natsu walked back weakly to his team to wild applause and cheers. He was grinning widely.

"Muahaha! T-two points!"

"It's a start." Erza smiled as Lucy, Gray, and Elfman nodded.

Natsu suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

"He needs the infirmary..."

_"All right! Here are the updates and ranks!"_

**Final Rankings**

**1.**** RAVEN TAIL** 16 + 8 = **24P**

**2.**** SABERTOOTH** 20 + 0 = **20P**

**3.**** LAMIA SCALE** 14 + 4 = **18P**

**4.**** APOSTLES** 8 + 10 = **18P**

**5.**** BLUE PEGASUS** 13 + 3 = **16P**

**6.**** MERMAID HEEL** 2 + 6 = **8P**

**7.**** FAIRY TAIL B** 1 + 1 = **2P**

**8.**** FAIRY TAIL A** 0 + 2 = **2P**

"Sabertooth's no longer first..." Lavi murmured.

"We went a rank up," said Allen.

"Thanks to me!" Lenalee grinned.

_"Well then, everyone! It's time for the long-awaited battles! What sort of passionate battles will be shown today? The first battle will be Raven Tail's Kurohebi against Lamia Scale's Toby Horhorta!"_

* * *

"Is he going to be all right?" Lucy asked Porlyusica when she dropped off the unconscious Natsu at the infirmary.

"It's just motion sickness, is it not?" The elderly pink-haired woman replied unconcernedly as she tucked Natsu into one of the beds.

"And Wendy?" Lucy added.

"She's almost recovered, thanks to the supplies you and that Apostles boy gave last night."

Lucy let out a sigh of relief.

"That's good to hear. Then, I'll be going now!" she left the room.

Porlyusica frowned at Carla, who was sitting on a stool.

"You're not going to tell her?"

"There's no way she'll believe me... A future like that... Anyway, I don't believe in it either!" Carla crossed her arms. "It was just a dream... Just a dream..."

* * *

To Lucy's surprise, Erza and Gray had been waiting and eavesdropping outside the infirmary.

"You two scared me!"

"What? We were just waiting for you," Gray told her.

"Lucy, what did Porlyusica meant by 'Apostles boy'?" Erza asked as they hurried down the hallway.

The stellar spirit mage looked puzzled for a moment.

"Oh! She meant Lavi."

_"What?!"_ Gray said incredulously, "wait, he was here last night in the arena?"

"Yeah, I helped him get the supplies for Porlyusica."

Gray and Erza hastily exchanged looks.

"So?! Did you find any leads?!" They both exclaimed hopefully.

Lucy blinked. "Leads...?"

"They're on our suspect list!" Erza reminded her. "Did you manage to get any useful information out of him? Like how he ended up being in the Games for instance? His powers? Anything like that?"

"AH I didn't ask!"

"WHAT?! You had a perfect opportunity and you wasted it?!" Gray gaped at her.

"I'M SORRYYYY! You know I had a, well, a bad day yesterday, so we just had a friendly conversation. And besides, how could I ask something like that without sounding suspicious?" said Lucy, sighing.

"True..."

"Actually, he told me he was from London."

"London?" Gray and Erza cocked their heads to the side. "Where's that?"

"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?!"

* * *

"C'mon, doggish dude!" Romeo cried from the audience, cheering Toby on.

"Smash the guy from Ivan's guild, doggish dude!" A pissed off Makarov added.

Out on the field, Toby panted. "You're strong," he puffed. "Kurohebi's a cool name."

"You're tough too," said Kurohebi. "And it's not my real name."

"WHAAAAT?! It's not your real name!?"

"Why are you getting mad...?"

"YOUUUU!" The Lamia Scale player slashed an attack at his opponent, "if I win, you're going to tell me your real name!"

"That's not a big deal..." Kurohebi dodged the attack effortlessly. "And if I win?"

"I'll tell you my super secret!"

"Sounds interesting. All right."

"A wager, huh?" Lavi mused thoughtfully, watching the battle.

Allen was shaking his head. "They shouldn't do that. Wagers are risky... I know so."

"There's a huge difference between poker and a battle, Allen..."

_"DOWNNNN! Toby is no longer standing! The match is over! The victor... Raven Tail's Kurohebi! That's 34 points for Raven Tail!"_

"W-What?! Did I miss everything?!" Allen cried.

"Pretty much."

Down below, the Raven Tail player eyed Toby expectantly.

"Well? What's your secret?"

Toby's mouth trembled.

"My socks... I... I can't find one of them... Even though I've been searching for the past three months..."

Kurohebi tapped his chest. Toby, following this, looked down to see that he was wearing his sock around his neck like a necklace.

"WHA — IT WAS IN A PLACE LIKE THIS?!" Toby sat bolt upright and took off the necklace, eyeing his precious sock. He gaped at Kurohebi.

"You're such a good guy... Ooh, I finally found it!"

Lavi sniggered. "What the heck? He was wearing it around his neck the whole time."

Allen sniffed. "I'm so glad for you, Mr. Doggish dude..."

"Um, I can't believe you're getting touched over this..."

Kurohebi extended out a hand to the Lamia Scale player.

_"Ohh, those two, who had just been battling, are now going to shake..."_ Chapati and a bunch of other spectators dabbed their eyes at this touching scene.

"Lavi, give me your scarf."

"You are _not_ wiping your tears on this!"

But then everyone in the stadium gasped; the Raven Tail fighter had suddenly snatched Toby's precious sock and shredded it right in front of everyone's eyes.

"YOU BASTARD!" Lyon Vastia bellowed, as Toby gaped like a drowning fish.

_"N-NO WAY! Th-that's just cruel! Too cruel!"_ The emcee exclaimed, as the audience suddenly let out angry hisses and Toby started bawling, trying to catch the torn pieces.

_"What the hell?!"_ Allen and Lavi both shouted, looking furious as the Raven Tail team laughed hysterically at Toby, who was pounding the ground with his fist, tears falling from his face.

* * *

_"Well, now that we've all composed ourselves, let's move onto the second match of the day..."_ Chapati announced, when everything had calmed down. _"Next up, Apostles' Yu Kanda —"_

_"Kanda Yu, damn it!"_ Kanda snarled.

"Now, now, Yuu — I mean, Kanda —"

_"— versus Fairy Tail A's —"_

"Oh it's one of us."

"What will we do if it's Natsu?"

"Smack him awake."

_"— Erza Scarlet!"_

"Erza!" Lucy, Gray, and Elfman burst out, looking pleased.

"It's my turn, huh?" said Erza. "All right." She began to head down onto the field.

"Good luck, Erza!" Her teammates' called after her.

"Ouuuuch, I feel sorry for the Apostles," said Hibiki of Pegasus. "Against Erza..."

"Erza's going..." someone from Mermaid Heel informed their leader, Kagura Mikazuchi, who stared coldly at the Fairy Tail mage.

"Yuu! Do your best!" Lavi cheered the samurai on.

"Tch."

"So," Allen began, turning to Lavi, "Erza-san or Kanda?"

"Yuu... nah, Erza."

"Me too."

"Really, you two?" Lenalee sighed as the two boys grinned.

"So that's Apostles' Yu Kanda?" Lucy murmured as Kanda came onto the field below. "He looks scary..."

"Come to think of it, he never really stood out..." Gray frowned.

"But what we've seen of Apostles so far, he must be strong," Elfman pointed out.

Erza spoke first.

"I hope we can have a fair fight," she told Kanda.

Kanda unsheathed his sword.

"Can we get this started already?" he said impatiently, much to Erza's surprise.

"The battle hasn't even begun and he's already unsheathing Mugen..." Lavi winced.

The emcee cleared his throat.

_"All right! Let's begin, shall we? The second match of the day — you have thirty minutes, start — oh my good lord that was fast!"_ Chapati Lola cried.

Kanda and Erza had already charged at each other, their swords raised. There was a sudden series of blows; the two opponents were attacking the other so fiercely, the emcee didn't even have time to keep up with the commentary.

_"— it's Kan— Er—going back to Kanda— no, Erza— good lord this is unbelievable! They haven't even used their magic!"_ The audience went crazy.

"Amazing! He can actually keep up with Erza?!" Gray was baffled.

"Kagura-chan?" One of the girls in Mermaid Heel directed her words at her leader again; Kagura was eyeing both Kanda and Erza with immense concentration.

"WOOOOOT! SHOW THEM THE POWER OF MUGEN, KANDA!" Bak cried from his seat as Kanda effortlessly dodged Erza's strike and quickly sent in an attack of his own.

There was one last clang before Kanda and Erza broke apart from each other, both of them panting a bit.

"You're quite skilled," Erza commented.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," Kanda muttered. He raised his sword and began tracing his index and middle finger along the back of the blade, activating his Innocence.

Erza raised her eyebrows when the blade turned silver.

"Interesting. It's about time I got serious too." She requipped into her Black Wing Armor and whizzed past Kanda, slashing him in a cross-like pattern.

Kanda spat out a mouthful of blood as a huge wound appeared on his chest, to Erza's shock.

"You didn't block it?!" The Fairy Tail mage cried in disbelief, as the whole stadium let out gasps.

_"K-Kanda has just been slashed! How can he still stand like that?!"_ Chapati cried.

"BaKanda, you idiot!" Kanda heard Allen and Lavi cry out.

Wiping his mouth, the exorcist smirked.

"That's all you got?"

_This guy... I was expecting him to block..._ Erza grimaced. "Why didn't you block my attack? You could've died."

"What, is there a rule saying you can't kill? Besides"— Kanda positioned himself — "I don't go down that easily. _**First Illusion : Netherworld Insects!**__"_

"W-what is this?!" Erza cried, as a swarm of creatures shot towards her way. She quickly tried to strike them down with her sword, but suddenly found that it was becoming harder to slash with every hit.

"These guys don't go away that easily." Kanda smirked, watching her struggle.

_"__**Requip : Heaven's Wheel Armor!**__ Dance, my blades!"_ More than two hundred swords spun rapidly towards Kanda's creatures and pierced them.

"WHAAAAAAT is that?!" Lavi cried out. "That was a hella lot of weapons!"

"This is Erza-san's magic?!" Allen looked shocked.

Lucy and Gray breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought Erza had it for a second..."

Kanda narrowed his eyes as the last of his creatures vanished.

_"__**Eight Flower Mantis!**__"_ He sprinted up close at the female mage and slit her multiple times.

_What is this?! It's not some normal attack!_ Erza coughed; blood littered the ground as Kanda launched a fierce kick to her mid-area.

_"W-what an intense battle! Fairy Tail A's Erza is suddenly on the ground!"_

"Oi, did that last attack really do that much damage!?" Gray yelled as the spectators cheered.

"Erza..." Lucy placed a trembling hand to get mouth.

"I don't even think Kanda's holding back!" Lenalee winced as the scarlet-haired mage sprang steadily to her feet.

"I'm surprised," Erza huffed, "you're much stronger than I thought." _His speed and movement._.. _Even after I struck him with my Black Wing armor, he can still stand... No... His speed has increased..._

"Had enough?"

She grimaced. "Of course not. I won't lose until I defeat you." Requipping into The Giant's Armor, she pointed the long pole-arm at Kanda invitingly. "Prepare yourself."

_"What the —!"_ The samurai gasped when the spear came in contact with Mugen; there was a rattling sound and Kanda could actually hear his sword vibrating.

"This armor enhances my strength," Erza explained, "its power is so great, it could destroy a mountain. I'm rather surprised your blade hasn't shattered."

"Tch." There was a somewhat whooshing sound and Erza let out a cry; a long gash appeared on her cheek.

"Your body is fully armored, but your face isn't," Kanda said harshly.

_Did he seriously just go for my face? People usually attack your body first.._. Erza was stunned.

"Only Kanda would think of attacking your face head-on..." Allen groaned.

"Yeah... He loves rearranging people's faces," Lavi added.

Erza stared at Kanda.

"Very well. Let's see how you can take it out on my Adamantine Armor." She requipped.

_"Oh my! What a deadly-looking armor! What will Kanda do now?!"_

"Tch, shut up! You're annoying me!" Kanda snarled at the emcee, who cowered. He then closed his eyes.

From the audience, Bak, noticing this stance, stood up in alarm.

"Don't tell me he's activating—! KANDA! IF YOU USE THAT —!"

_"__**Forbidden Spell : Triple Illusion : Exploding Spirit Cut!**__"_

Erza had one brief glimpse of Kanda snapping open his eyes before multiple huge explosions erupted before her, blinding her eyes, and she was suddenly slammed fiercely across the field, her armor nearly chipping off in the process.

_"U-UNBELIEVABLE! WHAT STRENGTH!"_ The emcee cried as the members of the audience let out excited exclaims.

"THAT IDIOT!" Bak screeched, "is he trying to kill her?!"

"Don't tell me Kanda used —?" Komui gaped wordlessly as Erza shakily got up amid bits of debris.

"What was that?" She gritted her teeth as she felt her somewhat bleeding scalp.

"My power," Kanda answered simply.

"Is Erza all right?!" Lucy cried, biting her fingernails in fear.

"I told you, there's something about those Apostles," Elfman murmured.

"Erza's among the strongest in our guild... If she loses..." Gray looked strained.

Requipping back into The Giant Armor, Erza lunged her spear at the exorcist while striking with her fist.

She gasped when he actually took on both of her attacks with his sword, using his Mugen as a shield. She expected the sword to shatter, but amazingly, it did not even leave a scratch; it was hard as iron.

_His sword's powers has increased? Impossible!_

_"__**Double Illusion Sword!**__"_

Something impossibly sharp pierced right through her armor, and she clenched her teeth as she felt it sink right through her flesh. Kanda launched another kick into her gut after expertly releasing the blade and she went flying backwards again. She managed to steady herself to prevent collapsing.

"Erza...!" Makarov burst out, looking extremely worried as the audience whispered and muttered.

_He nearly killed me... If I had been in that position for more than three seconds that blade would've sunk right through my intestines... He's no easy opponent..._

Erza began to think hard.

_What armor should I use? Fire wouldn't work... That explosion... Water won't cut it either... Purgatory? No, he'll defeat it easily... Seduction? No, what the hell am I thinking?! I'll just go with this one..._

The Fairy Tail mage requipped into her Japanese-like clothes that consisted of a sarashi and red pants, causing Kanda to narrow his eyes.

"No armor?"

"You've just destroyed two of my most defensive armors," she replied shortly, "I'll just have to scrape through with this one. Prepare yourself! This will be my strongest attack!"

Collecting all of her strength into her Demon Blade Crimson Sakura, she charged at the samurai, and their swords met. There was a burst of red and blue light that lit the entire arena, dazzling everyone in the vicinity.

There was a gong-like sound.

_"TIME'S UP! Ah!"_ The emcee cried as his wig nearly got blown away, _"Oh my goodness that was some crazy battle! The second match has ended, who will be declared winner?!"_

Everyone gasped as the light and dust begun to fade.

A battered Erza and Kanda were left standing, a good ten feet away from each other, both of them holding onto their swords as if they were lifelines.

There was silence. Then wild cheers shuddered all around the stadium.

_"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! IT'S A TIEEEEEEEE! FAIRY TAIL A AND APOSTLES BOTH RECEIVE FIVE POINTS!"_

"A-amazing... A tie!" Elfman cried, as the the spectators let out roars of delight.

"A tie, huh?" Lavi mused. "I thought Erza was going to win..."

"Liar. I saw your face when she fell. You thought she was done for." Allen grinned.

"Kanda looks pretty beat up though," Lenalee said worriedly.

"He can regenerate," Allen told her unconcernedly.

Down below, Erza straightened up and whipped out a hand to Kanda.

"That was a good battle."

Kanda eyed her hand for a brief moment before turning away.

"We don't need to shake hands."

Although surprised, she smiled at Kanda's retreating back.

* * *

"Yuu, you did awesome~!" Lavi said brightly when Kanda came back.

"Say my first name again and you'll see your own blood on my blade."

"Ha, ha... Scary as always..."

Allen stepped forward.

"Kanda —"

"— get lost."

"Wha — _Why don't you get lost?!_" Allen screamed, trying to charge at the samurai as Lenalee and Lavi restrained him.

"What is it, beansprout?"

"My name's Allen! Anyway, I only wanted to say good job..." Allen muttered in a low voice.

Kanda's ears perked up.

"Say that again, moyashi?"

"IT'S ALLEN, BAKANDA! YOU KNOW WHAT, I TAKE THAT BACK!"

"Stop arguing!" Lenalee stomped on both of Allen's and Kanda's feet, causing them to yelp and wince.

* * *

"Maaaaan, that was a good sleep!" Natsu woke up from his infirmary bed and stretched widely. He looked around and noticed the room and beds to be empty.

"Huh...? Wendy? Carla? Old lady?" Natsu sniffed. "What the heck? There's a scent in here that I don't recognize... " he bounced out of the bed and opened the door, sniffing the hallways.

* * *

"We should hurry!" A bunch of covered kidnappers hastily informed one another as they skidded out onto the roof.

"HEY! HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

They turned around bizarrely to see a pink-haired figure charging at them.

"WHERE ARE YOU TAKING WENDY AND THE OTHERS?!" he bellowed.

"S-shit! Run for it!" One guy cried out, holding a small blue-haired girl.

"Wait! Let me handle this — this gun works against magical oppon — ACK!" A fist went right into the speaker's face.

"Shit!" The first guy cried again, taking off at a run as the pink-haired mage screamed behind him.

"YOU BASTARDS! GIVE BACK WENDY AND THE OTHERS!"

"_Hey hey hey_ this guy is scary! He's gonna catch up with us at this rate!" Another man cried out, carrying the Exceed. "Wait, weren't we just suppose to capture the girl that was in the infirmary!? Why did we bring the cat and old lady along?!"

_"Hey."_ A dangerous voice met their ears, and they all turned around nervously.

_"Who the hell is behind this?"_ Natsu snarled.

The air was suddenly full of torturing screams.

* * *

"Are you okay, Wendy?"

"Uh-huh! Thanks to Grandeeney!"

"Don't call me that! In any case... those guys just now..." Porlyusica trailed off.

Natsu nodded.

"Raven Tail," he muttered, remembering one of the kidnappers who had confessed.

"What did they meant by 'the girl that _was _in the infirmary?" Wendy asked.

"There was one, wasn't there? The one who dropped you off?" Porlyusica directed her words at the fire mage.

Carla's eyes widen.

"Lucy..."

* * *

_"Here we are! The third match of the day!"_ The emcee announced brightly. "_Fairy Tail B's Mirajane Strauss vs Blue Pegasus' reserve member, Jenny Realight!"_

"Ahhhhh Jennnyyy! I'm so glad that Ichiya passed out from that Chariot event!" Hibiki swooned.

"I can't believe you..." Ren face palmed.

Meanwhile, Wendy had just entered the arena from the hallway with Natsu.

"Ah! Natsu! Wendy!" Lucy cried out in delight, as the two Dragon Slayers bounced towards her, Erza, Gray, and Elfman.

"Looks like you've got better." Erza smiled.

"Yes — _Erza-san, are those bruises?!_" Wendy anxiously eyed the bandages around Erza's head.

"Don't worry about it. I just had a battle."

"YOU WHAAAAT?!" Natsu's eyeballs nearly rolled off. "NOOO! I MISSED IT?!"

"You missed everything."

"AGAINST WHO? WHO WON? WHAT DID YOU USE —"

"Calm down..."

Wendy turned to Elfman and bowed.

"Elfman-san, thank you very much for filling in for me!"

The white-haired man ruffled her hair.

"Just doing my job. Since you're all better, there's no need for me to fill in anymore. Show them what you got, Wendy!"

"Yes!"

* * *

Allen was hopping around, holding his sore foot.

"Ugh, Lenalee, this really hurts you know..."

"That's what you get for fighting with Kanda!"

"But he's the one th — Wendy?" Allen suddenly blinked, looking across the arena.

"Wendy?" Lavi whipped around and noticed the little Dragon Slayer, who was grinning at them widely.

"Allen-saaaan! Lavi-saaaan! I'm so happy to see you two again!" she called.

They smiled.

"Us too!"

* * *

_"School swimsuits!"_

"WHOAAAAAAAA~"

_"Cat ears!"_

"YESSSSSSSSS~"

Team Apostles stared down at the battlefield.

"Allen... Pass me a tissue, my nose's bleeding."

"Use your scarf."

"What kind of battle is this?" Lenalee tried not to giggle as Mirajane, Jenny, and a bunch of other girls that had crashed the battle were halfway through showing off their beachwear and every guy in the audience roared and swooned again.

"Wow, I can't believe Fairy Tail joined in," said Lavi, watching Lucy and Erza.

"I'm still surprised they'd allowed this kind of thing..." Allen mused as the audience cat-whistled.

Kanda looked disgruntled.

"This is one retarded battle," he said sourly, turning to sit in a corner with Marie.

_"All right! The next theme is 'wedding dress!' Prepare a partner and get into bridal gear!"_

A bunch of wedding dresses and suits fell from the sky.

Lenalee's golem suddenly went on.

_"Lenalee-chaaaaan, you must go out thereeee!"_ Komui suddenly shouted, _"I will not allow those girls to hog your spotlight!"_

"WHAAAT!? No waaay!"

_"Allen-kun, Lavi, if you don't force her, I'll suspend your cafeteria privileges!"_

This was apparently a huge deal for Allen.

_"Here!"_ He stuffed a falling white wedding dress into her arms. _"Get out there!"_

"_What?!_ No!"

"Lenalee, this may be your only chance to wear a wedding dress in your entire life! Komui-san won't let you get married!" Allen reminded her hastily.

She gasped and immediately sprinted off.

"Whew. That was close."

"You only care about the food." Lavi grinned.

_"Also, all of you get out there. I'm not letting a stranger touch my Lenalee!"_

Allen, Marie, Kanda, and Lavi groaned.

* * *

_"Oh my! Even Team Apostles joined the party!"_ Chapati cried as a bunch of spectators cheered.

"Whoaaaaaa!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly as the exorcists entered the field. "It's Allen and Gravy!"

"Uh, this is embarrassing..." Allen muttered as a bunch of girls eyed him in his white suit.

"Not as embarrassing as you guys practically being my guards," Lenalee murmured, her face heating up as the four exorcists surrounded her.

"Tch. What can we do? It's Komui's orders." Kanda cast Komui a sour look; the European Head was giving them an approving nod.

"Woooow, Allen! You look good in that! It's better than mine!" Natsu said gleefully as the exorcists approached the group.

"Um, Natsu-san, we're both wearing the same suits..."

"Nats— oops, sorry!" Lisanna accidentally bumped into Allen.

"It's quite all right..." Allen winced, rubbing his head.

"Woow! You actually _do_ remind me of a young Elf-niichan!" Lisanna said excitedly, peering closely at Allen.

"Huh?" Allen looked confused as Natsu burst out guffawing.

Lucy was grinning at Lavi.

"Looks like you got the gooey stuff off then?" she asked, eyeing his hair.

"Yep. You look nice in that, by the way." Lavi smiled, looking at her dress.

"Thanks!" Lucy glanced around. "But who should be my partner?"

"Well, wanna—?" Lavi was cut off as Loki popped out of nowhere.

"Lucyyyyy! Let's take this opportunity to really get married!" Loki turned to Lavi. "You won't mind if I steal her for a second, do you?"

"No... not really," Lavi replied somewhat coldly, as Lucy scolded at Loki.

The red-haired exorcist suddenly noticed Kanda standing by himself and brightened.

"Hey, Yuu! Don't have a partner? You can be my manly bride!"

"Like hell I will!" Kanda whacked Lavi on the head, causing his headband to fall off.

Erza frowned at Lenalee's puffy dress.

"It's a bit too long... Here, let me fix it." There was a huge rip and Lenalee let out a cry.

_"Now it's TOO short!"_

* * *

_"All right, since the wedding theme has ended, let's refocus on the battle between Jenny and Mirajane! Wow, would you look at that! Jenny has equipped into her battle form!"_

"I'm not gonna hold back!" Mira declared. "Let's finish this off with a bang!"

"What?" Jenny blinked as the Fairy Tail mage transformed — and slashed her.

Everyone looked flabbergasted.

_"J-Jenny is down! From a swimsuit contest to a battle of strength... Well, the original rules were like this anyway..."_ Chapati cleared his throat. _"Victor : Mirajane!"_

"D-Damn, she's scarier than Erza..." Lavi cowered in fear as the Demon-Mirajane fist-pumped into the air to crazy applause.

* * *

_"All right, here it is! The last battle of the second day! Kagura Mikazuchi from Mermaid Heel vs Yukino Aguria from Sabertooth!"_

"Oooh, another battle between girls?" Lavi readjusted his headband.

"I don't think it's going be something like the previous one..." Allen looked at Kagura's stoic demeanor.

"Who do you think will win?" Frosch the Exceed asked Lector.

"Yukino-san, of course! How could you ask something like that?!"

"Fro thinks so too!"

"Don't lose like Sting," Orga warned Yukino as Sting looked disgruntled.

"No, Sting-sama was just unlucky," Yukino said calmly. "If only we'd known the game had consisted of vehicles beforehand..."

Sting frowned. "Forget it... You know what failing will mean for us, right?"

"That's why I have to win. I won't humiliate the name of Sabertooth."

The players took the field.

"Sabertooth..." Gray muttered, watching Yukino.

"Watch the battle closely," Erza told her teammates' briskly.

The emcee cleared his throat.

_"Just as we know, Kagura is the strongest mage of Mermaid Heel. She's quite experienced. Meanwhile, this is Yukino's first battle, but she's from Sabertooth, so I'm sure she'll give us quite a performance."_

There was a ringing gong noise.

_"You may begin!"_

Yukino spoke.

"Nice to meet you," she said politely to Kagura, who looked slightly taken aback.

"Nice to meet you too."

"Well... Why don't we make a wager before we start?"

"Sorry. I'm not interested. I don't like casual bets."

"Then let's just make a big bet. Let's bet our lives on this battle," Yukino suggested, much to everyone's shock.

_"Is she crazy?!"_ Allen stared at Yukino, flabbergasted as the whole arena let out murmurs.

"Uh, I don't think so, no." Lavi gaped at the Sabertooth player, who looked serious.

"Well?" Yukino asked her opponent.

"If that's your sincere determination, I'll accept. All right. Come on!" Kagura took out her sheathed sword.

"A sword-wielder!" Lenalee exclaimed, as Kanda merely scowled.

_"W-what?! Isn't this going a bit too far?!"_ Chapati cried as Yukino made her move.

She whipped out a golden key.

"That's —!" Allen was even more flabbergasted.

"A key... Lucy's magic..." Lavi muttered.

Across the stadium, Lucy gasped.

"That's a zodiac key!" she cried.

_"__**Gate of the Fish, I open thee : Pisces!**__"_ Two huge sea creatures were summoned, one black and one white, their faces taking on the face of a fish while their elongated bodies resembled an eel's.

"FISHHHHHHHH!" Happy cried out.

"THAT IS HUGE!" Lavi burst out, his mouth open.

"Oooh, if you cook the ears and dip them in sauce, they'll actually taste good!" Allen said excitedly.

_"Seriously, Allen?!"_

"Go forth, Pisces!" Yukino commanded, and the two creatures aimed themselves at Kagura, who managed to jump out of the way, dodging Pisces' attacks like it was nothing.

"A-amazing... she's seriously good!" Lenalee voiced out as Kagura jumped into the air and smoothly avoided another attack.

"Huh, she's not bad," Sting commented.

_"Whoa, look at that, ladies and gentlemen! Kagura is expertly dodging all of Pisces' fierce attacks!"_

Yukino looked displeased.

"What a waste. If you're so good at dodging, I'll just have to ground you." She whipped out another key.

_"__**Gate of the Scales, I open thee : Libra!**__"_

"OOOOOOOOH!" The guys in the audience swooned again as a curvaceous woman popped out.

_"A-another stunningly beautiful Celestial spirit!"_

"Libra, alter her gravity."

"As you wish!" The Libra spirit suddenly waved her scales around, and there was a heavy disturbance like a heat haze pushing down on Kagura.

"I see... That Yukino girl is trying to make her heavier..." Lavi murmured.

_"Libra!"_ The sea creatures tried to directly attack the Mermaid Heel opponent, but missed when Kagura jumped up into the air to astonishing cries from the audience.

"So I see... You can also use Gravity Change..." Yukino frowned as Kagura once again dodged Pisces' attacks.

"Pisces, Libra, you may go." The Sabertooth player dismissed her spirits.

She glared at Kagura.

"You... Are you forcing me to open the '13th Gate'?"

Lucy gasped.

"Did she just say the '13th Gate'?!"

"I think so!" Wendy looked scared.

"You have no luck," Yukino told Kagura, taking out a dark key.

"What the heck?!" Allen and Lavi cried; the arena was eerily turning purple.

"I never rely on luck —" Kagura was sprinting towards the celestial spirit mage.

_"__**Gate of the Serpent Bearer, I open thee**__ —"_

"— everything has unfolded itself through the choices I make!"

_"— __**Ophiuchus!**__"_

Kagura stopped in her tracks.

A gigantic half-alive, half-mechanic serpent appeared threateningly before her, hissing and slithering around its long, dark-scaled body.

Allen and Lavi both nearly pissed their pants.

_"T-t-t-that thing is huge!"_ Allen squawked, as everyone in the arena let out horrified gasps.

"Don't seriously tell me she's going straight for it?!" Lavi yelled as down below, Kagura took off again at a sprint.

_"Blade of Resentment : __**Archenemy**__ —"_

Erza and Kanda gasped.

_"— __**Style of the Unsheathed Sword!**__"_ The giant serpent suddenly shattered into pieces.

Yukino gasped when Kagura suddenly appeared right in front of her.

"You made a cheap bet —"

There was a thud.

"— sometimes, mermaids eat tigers," Kagura finished, as a defeated Yukino laid sprawled on the ground.

There was a stunned silence.

_"THE... THE WINNER IS MERMAID HEEL'S KAGURA MIKAZUCHI!"_ The entire stadium let out ear-spilting cheers. _"UN-UNBELIEVABLE! SABERTOOTH GAINS ZERO POINTS FOR TODAY!"_

"No way... Yukino..." Sting was lost for words.

"Kagura-chan rocks!"

"Don't you underestimate her!"

"Th... That was crazy... She didn't even unsheathe her sword!" Lavi was wide-eyed.

"I... I feel really bad for the Yukino girl..." Allen looked sadly at the Sabertooth member still sprawled on the ground.

"I... I lost..." Yukino's mouth trembled as she directed her words at a retreating Kagura's back. "S-Sabertooth lost..."

Kagura didn't even turn around to look at her.

"Your life... belongs to me now, right?"

Yukino's eyes were wet.

"Y-yes... I'll... obey you..."

Kagura suddenly looked up in Team Apostles' direction, giving Kanda and the others a glare.

Lavi noticed this.

"_Hey hey hey_ Yuu, she's glaring at ussss! Did you piss her off or something?!"

"What are you talking about, dumbass?! I didn't do anything!" Kanda scowled as Kagura turned away.

_"ALL RIGHT! Day two of the Grand Magic Games are finally over! Don't forget to check the rankings — we'll see you tomorrow!"_

The stadium began to empty.

"We should check our ranks," Lavi told Allen as Lenalee and the others went to go look for Komui and Bak.

**Second Day Results**

**1st** **Raven Tail** 34**P**

**2nd**** Apostles** 23**P**

**3rd**** Sabertooth** 20**P**

**4th**** Mermaid Heel** 18**P**

**5th**** Lamia Scale** 18**P**

**6th**** Blue Pegasus** 16**P**

**7th**** Fairy Tail B** 12**P**

**8th**** Fairy Tail A** 7**P**

"Please tell me we're not second..."

"Okay, we're not second."

_"We're SO second!"_ Allen cried. "I feel so bad! We're not suppose to surpass Fairy Tail! Heck, we even surpassed Sabertooth!"

"Yeah, it's all thanks to those three" — Lavi jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Lenalee, Kanda, and Marie — "can't be helped when we have such competitive teammates, y'know?"

"Ugh. I feel ashamed of myself..."

"You're such a good guy, Allen. Don't beat yourself up over it."

"Ugh..."

"Allen?" Lavi blinked; the white-haired boy was groaning in pain.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"I... I don't feel so good..."

Lavi eyed him concernedly.

"Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

"No... I think... I think I'm hungry."

Lavi rolled his eye.

"You had me worried for a second. Okay, let's go meet up with the others and eat."

"All right..."

As they walked out of the arena, Allen nearly blacked out, and the next thing he knew, he accidentally went smashing into the exit doors.

"OWWW! My head!"

"Dude, are you okay?!" Lavi now looked at him in alarm, as people passing by let out angry hisses.

"Yeah..." The white-haired boy groaned, feeling his head as he walked out of Domus Flau with Lavi, wondering what the hell was happening to him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer :** Don't own DGM, don't own FT.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

* * *

"Name?"

"Allen Walker."

"Home country?"

"England."

"Age?"

"About 15."

"Height?"

"169 centimeters."

"Occupation?"

"Exorcist."

"Where are you?"

"In Fiore."

"To?"

"Collect Innocence."

"Well, Allen, I can definitely say that you have not lost your memory or suffered any insane brain damage," Lavi told the younger boy cheerfully. "You will live, my friend."

"Of course I will live. Smacking my head onto those humongous doors won't kill me," Allen murmured, feeling his head gingerly. There was still a throbbing pain located on the right, where he had supposedly struck his head.

Perhaps he had winced or gave an expression of pain that caused Lavi to now peer at him concernedly.

"Are you sure you don't need to head to the infirmary?"

"I'm sure," Allen responded firmly. "I can't waste time. We're on a mission, after all." He simply didn't want to be lying down in the infirmary while Lavi and the others went around searching for the Innocence. It made him feel inferior and useless, and he really didn't want Kanda to be calling him a 'weak moyashi' either, needing to go to the infirmary just because of a head concussion. The searing pain would subside soon enough, he hoped.

Lavi looked convinced, as the concerned expression left his face and was replaced with the usual carefree Lavi-look.

They were still standing on the stone-bridge that connected Domus Flau to Crocus, under a darkening sky that suggested that evening was nearing. Allen could smell something like… _water_ in the air. He suspected it had something to do with the lake that was under the bridge. Nevertheless, it was peaceful and relaxing standing on the bridge with Lavi, watching the many spectators filing out of the stadium.

But that feeling had quickly come and went. Allen's insides suddenly flipped, and he felt the need to sit down. He could not bear glancing at the stadium any longer; there was a horrible sensation somewhere in his stomach, a feeling of dread mixed with anxiety, perhaps.

"It's going to be either one of us in the Games tomorrow. Or both of us," Lavi unhelpfully commented, staring at the gorgeous stadium which begun to lit up brightly as the sky began to gradually darken. Allen couldn't tell from his expression whether he was afraid or bored.

"Yeah." Allen's voice was hoarse. He cleared it. "Yeah."

Lavi's emerald-green eye tore its glare away from the arena and focused on him.

"Scared?"

The younger boy didn't say anything at first. Allen's silver-grey eyes merely focused up towards the sky. Then he looked down and gave a mild shrug.

"I'm not sure," he finally answered. "Maybe a bit… I just hope I don't go against Natsu-san or any of the other Fairy Tail players."

"Yeah, well… that's kind of unavoidable, isn't it?" Allen detected a tiny hint of sadness in Lavi's voice.

The duo stayed there for quite some time, listening to the ripples of the lake and the chatters and sounds of the crowds, before they silently turned on their heels and left the bridge.

* * *

It took them a long time to return to their inn. Many spectators were piling into town, and most occupied the town square, all of them still in full flow about the Games. Allen paid neither one of them any heed; his mind was racing too fast to focus on anything at the moment and his insides gave a nervous lurch. All he wanted to do was go back to the inn and lay down.

Lavi seemed to have noticed his uneasiness, for they both made small talk then lapsed into silence for the rest of the trip.

To Allen's relief, the building of the inn came into view and the two exorcists were about to walk inside when the door suddenly burst open and a familiar figure greeted them optimistically.

"Boys! You're finally back. What was the hold up?"

"Komui-san!" Allen nearly staggered into him. He straightened himself up and saw that Komui was wearing his long traveler's cloak and was hauling his bag onto his back.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes," Komui replied with a smile. "I've already said my goodbyes to everyone upstairs. It's about time I head back to Headquarters. I have a lot of work to do." Komui let out a disappointed sigh.

Seeing Komui strangely made Allen feel less uneasy. He could feel the tension in his stomach lessening as he addressed the Chief.

"Komui-san, I'll get the Ark ready for you then."

* * *

An abandoned alleyway just down the block was the perfect place to summon the Ark, or so Allen had thought. To his disgust, he found the alleyway to be littered with trash, and wondered if passersby used it as some sort of garbage can they can throw waste into as they walk by.

"Eugh." Lavi pinched his nostrils shut. The smell of rotten food and other unknown substances reeked so bad that tears appeared to be welling up in Lavi's eye.

"Allen, can we just hurry this up?" he asked weakly, carefully walking around so that he did not step on anything gross.

Allen turned to Komui, who, amazingly, looked perfectly undisturbed by the foul odor and rotten fragments of food on the ground.

"I'm sorry for sending you off in this fashion, Komui-san," Allen apologized meekly. His eyes immediately begun to water and he briefly wondered if there was a rotten onion laying around as there was a stinging sensation.

"No problem, Allen-kun." Komui just pushed his glasses further up his nose and looked expectantly at him, who realized that it was his cue to summon the Ark.

"Well then, it's time to go our separate ways," Komui announced, when the Ark appeared. "Lavi, I'll tell Bookman you're doing well."

Lavi, who had his scarf almost covering his entire face, let out a muffled "Thanks!"

"Allen-kun." Komui turned to face the other exorcist. There was a hesitant smile on his lips.

"Yes?" Allen asked. He could not stand the stinging in his eyes any longer but he didn't dare tear his look away from Komui, afraid that the Supervisor would take it as a sign of disrespect. If only Komui would just hurry up with whatever he had to say…

"Allen-kun, if, for some reason, you're not feeling very… _well_, you can always head back to Headquarters. Just let Bak know, of course."

"Huh?" Allen blinked. Had Komui perhaps noticed his nervousness and anxiety? "But I'm feeling rather fine," he assured the Chief.

"If you _don't_," Komui corrected him. The Chinese man placed a foot into the Ark. "Well, boys." He gave Allen and Lavi a dark look, which startled the two exorcists.

"I'll be off. Take care of my beloved Lenalee, will you? I won't forgive you if she comes home hurt!"

"R-right…" Allen's and Lavi's smile faltered a bit under Komui's dangerous stare. Then he gave them a wide grin.

"Good luck, boys."

And he was gone.

"Lavi, we should get out of here now. I feel like I'm going to die from the smell."

"Word."

* * *

Crocus Garden was a large building located in a plaza. Several pillars supported the grand arch-shaped entrance, and a gorgeous water fountain sat at the front of the building, multi-colored water spewing out of a statue's mouth. Stunning flowers of every type merged together with bushes of every size to transform the lawn into a breath-taking garden. The building gave an air of high-class property, and it was probably was, as Crocus Garden was the one and only Sabertooth lodging.

A blond-haired boy who happened to be lying down on the grass near the flowerbeds straightened up and yawned.

"Lector, are you awake?"

One of the flowerbeds rustled and a brown Exceed paw poked out.

"I'm up, Sting-kun," Lector replied in a very drowsy voice, giving a thumbs up.

"We should head back inside then."

As Sting stood up from his spot, he noticed that the two guards on duty at the entrance seemed to be whispering frantically to one another.

_They must be talking about what happened earlier,_ he thought to himself. Intrigued by whatever the guards were talking about, the Sabertooth member trotted up towards them, a sleepy Exceed flying in his wake.

"… I heard she got kicked out just a while ago!"

"_Seriously?!_ No wonder Master Jiemma isn't pleased…"

"Pleased?" Sting interjected, causing the guards to yelp in alarm and turn around.

_"M-Master Sting!"_

"What're you two talking about?" Sting asked, looking bored as he examined the cuticles of his nails.

The guards exchanged nervous looks before the second guard spoke up.

"About the replacement for Minerva-sama… We heard she was kicked out."

"Oh, Yukino?" Sting shrugged. "Yeah, she got expelled. We didn't need weaklings like her anyway."

"But," the first guard began timidly, "if she had won, Sabertooth would've been in second place instead of that Apostles guild, right?"

"Yeah…" Sting's tone suddenly changed. It sounded cold and bitter. "We would've been."

* * *

"I can't believe Bak-san let us out to eat dinner on our tonight instead of wandering around looking for the Innocence," Allen said excitedly, counting something in his hands. "How many jewels is this?"

"Probably only enough for a cheap, small meal." Lavi eyed the pile of money in Allen's hands. "And I suspect it's due to the fact that Komui's gone. Now he can go back to stalking Lenalee with pleasure."

"Bak-san really has no life," Allen mused thoughtfully. He frowned at the jewels. "Hey, Lavi. Give me some of your jewels."

"Allen, I'm not even gonna hand over a single jewel. Look at this" —Lavi took out a tiny pile of jewels from his coat—"I only have enough for a drink!"

"Bak-san really doesn't know how to distribute money evenly," Allen said sadly, giving a furtive glance at Lavi's jewels. "In the end, Lenalee got so much more than all of us."

"Obviously, since he totally favors her…" Lavi pouted. "If only she was here… Then we wouldn't have to worry about affording a meal."

"Yup," Allen agreed sadly. The Chinese exorcist had decided to tail Kanda and Marie instead. "You never know. Kanda might go Mugen on anybody, anytime," Lenalee said when Allen had asked her why.

"Come to think of it, Yu does look pretty bad-tempered than usual lately." Lavi looked thoughtful.

"He probably thinks the Games are a waste of time," Allen shrugged.

Lavi snickered, almost mischievously.

"Nah, I don't think so. Did you see his face when he came back from his battle with Erza?" Lavi snickered yet again. "He looked pretty satisfied. He must think of her as a worthy opponent."

"Really?" This came as a little surprise to the younger exorcist. Kanda always had that ticked-off expression on his face. Or maybe it was just the fact that Allen was always around.

Lavi, who was staring down at his jewels, sighed.

"Allen, I know you're going to kill me for this, but you're gonna hafta gimme half of your jewels and just survive on a biscuit or two all night." Lavi blinked. "Allen?"

The white-haired exorcist had stopped in his tracks, staring behind his back at the colorful restaurant they had just passed.

"Lavi." There was an almost maniac gleam in Allen's silver-grey eyes. "It's game night."

"… What?"

* * *

"This meat is the best~!" Natsu exclaimed gleefully. He looked over towards Lucy who was watching him eat with a "why-am-I-sitting-at-the-same-table-as-you" expression on her face.

"Want some, Luce?" He offered her one of his meat-on-a-bone.

"No thanks, Natsu," Lucy declined hastily. She watched as he gave a shrug and tore off a chunk with his teeth, a look of paradise etched across his face.

"Lucy-san, Natsu-san, please look at this!" Wendy had rushed towards their table, holding up a piece of colored poster. "It's game night at the restaurant next door!" She exclaimed.

"Natsu got banned from that restaurant, remember? He was making too much of a ruckus," Lucy reminded her, sighing as across the table from her, Natsu kept on eating his food, oblivious to the conversation.

"But it says here that the winner gets a prize of 250,000 jewels!" Wendy urged her on, which supposedly must have worked, as the dull look in Lucy's brown eyes sparkled with sudden interest and she sat bolt upright.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

* * *

"Gray-samaaaaaa~! What did you mean by _that?"_

"OOOOOH! You made her cry, Graaaay!"

"D-don't pound on me so suddenly! And be quiet, Happy!"

"Hah! See Juvia-chan? This guy doesn't care about you at all! So come join—"

"—she's not going anywhere!"

"You don't get to talk, Gray! Juvia-chan obviously thinks I'm so much better!"

"A-actually, Juvia thinks that you—"

_Are all so annoying!_ Kanda, Marie, and Lenalee unknowingly thought in unison.

_What's up with this damn bunch? Can't even eat my soba in peace!_ There was an angry tick mark on Kanda's temple, growing larger by the second.

"K-Kanda, calm down," Lenalee said hurriedly, feeling some sort of murderous aura around him. She gave an uneasy look at Juvia, Gray, Lyon, and the rest of Lamia Scale. "They're just having a—" She suddenly blinked and looked at Juvia and Gray again.

"Aren't they from Fairy Tail?" Marie asked, recognizing Gray's voice.

"I think so," responded Lenalee. She remembered Allen mentioning a Gray to her.

"Tch. That's it." Kanda, unable to contain the noise level in the restaurant any longer, slammed down his chopsticks onto his bowl and stood up. "I'm out of here."

"Kanda!" Lenalee scowled as Kanda made his way out of the restaurant. He stopped at the sight of Gray, who was just getting up from his table and was blocking the exit.

"Move it," Kanda demanded at Gray coldly. "You're in my way."

"Huh?" Gray merely raised an eyebrow. Clearly not impressed with Kanda's attitude, he said coolly, "I got here first."

"And you're in my way," Kanda repeated again, "so move it." Without waiting for an answer, he slid past the ice mage, almost shoving him in the process and left the restaurant. Marie hurried after him and Lenalee gave the glowering mage an apologetic look before leaving as well.

* * *

Sunny Restaurant was a very colorful restaurant indeed. The building was painted in almost every color imaginable, and it was hard to miss the flashing signs that were plastered on the windows. Although it was a great place to eat and have fun, it was mostly well-known for its famous 'game nights'. The rules were that you could participate in any game of your choice under a time limit, and if you won, you would win the grand prize.

And the prize included money, of course, or else Lucy Heartfilia wouldn't even be trotting her way towards the restaurant.

"Hello." A waitress, eyeing Lucy, Wendy, and Natsu, greeted them warmly. "How can I help you?"

"We're here for the game night," Lucy replied. "Is it too late to sign up now?"

"Ah." The waitress gave a small bow. She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, but the event is ending soon and there are seventy-six participants. I will not stop you if you would like to enter now, but I'm afraid you won't have enough time to be able to beat the lead person."

"Lead person?" Wendy asked.

"Yes. He has so far defeated seventy-four participants and is ranked in first place," the waitress explained.

"That's amazing!"

"What game is he playing?!" Natsu asked excitedly.

The waitress slightly frowned.

"Well, it is a rather unusual game I have not heard of involving cards."

"Cards?"

* * *

"_Royal Straight Flush!"_ An Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of Hearts were set down upon the table in triumph.

All the contestants in the room gasped. "_Seriously?! That's his seventy-fifth win!"_

Allen smiled pleasantly as his opponent left the table in defeat and made way for the seventy-sixth player.

_They really don't know anything about poker_, he thought to himself, suppressing a maniac smirk, _how lucky am I?_

"Your cards, sir." Allen passed his opponent, a muscular man, his set of cards.

The man glared down suspiciously at the cards. "This poker-game, kid, you sure it's really a game?"

"I can assure you, sir, that it is," Allen replied back politely, biting back the retort that he was not a kid. "And of course, we have nothing to lose, as all we're betting on are these marbles." He gave a nod towards the pile of obviously magic, glowing marbles that were placed to the side.

The man seemed convinced, and they resumed play.

_Once I beat this guy, I'll finally have food to eat._ Allen suddenly winced as pain shot across his head. _Great, my head still hurts…_ Folding his card and waiting for his opponent to make his move, he glanced at Lavi, who was watching him play at a nearby table, a look of half-amusement and half-exasperation on his face.

* * *

"_Are you seriouuuuuuuus!? You won the jewels, Allen!?"_ Natsu's and Lucy's eyeballs nearly rolled off at the sight of Allen exiting the restaurant with a large money bag in his hands, an amused Lavi at his side.

"Oh, it's you three!"

"Don't "oh, it's you three" us!" Natsu and Lucy rounded on the white-haired boy, making him step back a few steps. "How did you win the prize!? You used cards right?! What kind of cards?!"

"W-w-well—" Allen faltered a bit under Lucy's and Natsu's demanding stares.

"Lucy-san and Natsu-san are a bit… obsessed with money," Wendy said to Allen, giving him a small, apologetic smile.

"Well, of course we would be! Remember that two million jewels reward we would've got?" Lucy huffed, as Natsu bobbled his head up and down furiously in agreement. "I need all the money I can get to pay for Natsu's ridiculously large meals and my rent!"

"Wow… Lucy has it hard," Lavi quietly commented and Wendy giggled.

Natsu gave Allen a searching look. "You used those element-thingy cards like Cana does, huh?"

"Element-thingy?" There was only so much Allen could handle at the moment. Shaking his head, he said, "I just used regular cards." He took out his pack of cards and gave it to Natsu, who immediately examined it with something close to wonder.

"Eh… so it really is just a bunch of plastic…." Natsu and Lucy looked terribly disappointed. Allen felt slightly offended, but then he remembered that he was in Fiore, where even the littlest things such as pens and paper had magic in them.

"So how'd you win with these, Allen?" The fire mage asked, still peering at the cards in hope that something magical would happen.

Allen shrugged. "I played a game called poker."

"Really? Teach me how to play porker then!"

"Poker. And do you really want me to?" Allen asked him cautiously. Poker didn't seem like the sort of thing that would interest Natsu. "I mean, after all, those cards aren't really anything special," he added.

"I need a new game to play with Happy!" Natsu insisted.

"By the way, where's Gray, Happy, Carla, and Erza?" Lavi asked Lucy and Wendy while behind them, Natsu and Allen were busy talking (or bickering, it seemed) about poker.

"Now that you've mentioned it, I haven't seen Erza," replied Lucy, looking worried. "Gray I know got snatched away by Lamia Scale, and Happy and Carla must be with him, but Erza…" She trailed off.

"I'm sure Erza-san is not by herself," Wendy assured her.

"Even if she did, no one would dare attack her. She's scary," added Lavi jokingly, and Lucy and Wendy laughed.

"Excuse me." The waitress from earlier came out of the restaurant, which now had a sign on the front. She gave a polite bow.

"I'm sorry, but the restaurant is now closed, so if you all could kindly leave…"

"Oh, we're sorry!" Lucy hastily bowed back. She straightened up and turned to Lavi.

"We'll be going back to our lodging. Why don't you and Allen come along? You guys were going to eat, right? We have a twenty-four hour food bar in our inn. The food's not the best but all the restaurants seemed to be closed now." Lucy was right. As the group walked down the street, lights seemed to be going off in the restaurants and a few owners came outside to put up the "Now Closed" sign.

"Alright then," Lavi agreed.

The mages and exorcists then set off towards the Honeybone Inn, Natsu and Allen still in full flow about poker, and Wendy and Lucy and Lavi making small talk. They were nearing the inn when the celestial spirit mage suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Huh?" Lucy squinted at something in the distance.

"What is it?" asked Lavi, also trying to squint but since the moonlight was shining down on the left side of the sidewalk, it blurred his eye vision.

"There's someone standing in front of our lodging!" exclaimed Wendy, after a closer look.

Allen, who was at the back of the group, cocked his head to the side to get a better view. To his surprise, standing in front of the Honeybone Inn was a young woman dressed in a casual attire, with short, light-colored hair.

"You're…"

"Sabertooth's celestial spirit mage…"

* * *

Standing on a rooftop of a very high building, Erza Scarlet let out a sigh.

"What's wrong, Erza? Why are you here alone?" A voice from behind her asked and she turned around abruptly.

"Gray! Erm… "

_I hate Jellal too. I'll never forgive him._ Milianna's words echoed in her head.

"Nothing's wrong," she finally answered, a bit too quickly, in response to Gray's skeptical look. "How about you? Why are you here alone? Where's Happy and Carla?"

"I was caught in some messy stuff that's going on between Lyon and Juvia… And Happy and Carla are with her." Gray shrugged, almost too hard.

Erza scanned his face.

"You're angry," she said calmly after a few moments, and he jumped around in alarm.

"Angry?! About what?"

"That's what I should know, Gray," said Erza, crossing her arms and regaining her usual stern look. "Did something happen?"

"Tch, fine…" Gray sighed in defeat, looking sour. "That Yu guy has got some attitude."

"Yu?" Erza blinked. "You mean Kanda Yu?"

"Isn't his name Yu?"

"Everyone seems to call him Kanda." Erza shrugged. By 'everyone' she meant Allen. Lavi, on the other hand, preferred to call the samurai 'Yuu'. "And anyway, did something happen between you two?"

"We didn't physically fight or anything, but there's just something about him that irks me," mumbled Gray, still looking bitter.

"Hmm." Erza looked thoughtful. An idea suddenly popped into her mind.

"Gray, I have an idea, but it may not be a wise one."

"What is it?" The ice mage asked curiously.

Erza glanced across the town, where a big clock building stood. It was late, but…

"What if…"

"If…?" Gray urged her on.

"What if we investigate the Apostles lodging tonight?"

* * *

"So what's up? You were looking for me?" Lucy asked Yukino the second everyone got inside the room and sat down at the coffee table. Wendy and Natsu were standing behind Lucy's chair, Wendy looking curious and Natsu disapproving while the exorcists seated themselves on the floor, both wearing looks of awkwardness as they silently ate the food they brought up with them from the food bar.

Yukino cast the two exorcists a skeptical look before turning to Lucy and replying, "Yes. I'm here because I have something important to give to you, Lucy-sama."

"What does Sabertooth want from us?" Natsu demanded. Allen noted the coldness in his voice and a shudder ran through him; he rarely heard Natsu sound so bitter and cold.

"You might find it hard to understand, but well…" Yukino placed two items on the table. "The keys of Pisces and Libra. I would like Lucy-sama to take them."

"What?" Lucy, Natsu, and Wendy stared at the keys in surprise.

"How… How could I… I can't take them." Lucy stared at Yukino as if she had gone mad.

But the former Sabertooth member did not meet her eyes.

Eyes downcast, she replied, "It is a decision I made the moment I saw you on Day 1. I would give you these keys after the tournament."

"But the tournament's not over yet," said Natsu.

"It is for me," Yukino responded. Allen peeked a look at her from the corner of his eye. She wore a sad smile as she continued, "Minerva-sama will replace me. And when that time comes, Sabertooth will have the team of the most powerful members."

"So you're not one of the five?" Lucy asked, startled.

"No. I am just a replacement for Minerva-sama."

Allen stared down at his plate of food. The feeling of dread and anxiety had suddenly surfaced, and his appetite had vanished.

"But why exactly do you want to give Lucy-san the keys? Don't the celestial spirits mean a lot to you?" Wendy asked Yukino timidly.

"They do. That's why I want to hand them over to Lucy-sama, who I believe is a stronger celestial mage than myself. They will be better off this way."

Lucy winced, as if Yukino's words had stung her.

"I'm glad, and I appreciate that you think of me that way, but…"

"You have already collected ten of the twelve Zodiac keys," Yukino cut in. "With these two, you'll have all the twelve keys to open the Gate to changing the world."

Allen could not help but glance at Lucy, who looked extremely taken aback. _The Gate to changing the world?_ he thought.

"The Gate to changing the world?" Lucy unknowingly repeated his thoughts. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure," Yukino replied. "But I assume you have noticed that the number of celestial spirits is decreasing drastically. Not to mention the Zentopia incident earlier… We might be the only few celestial mages left. You are the one who loves them and are loved by them, so you should have the keys and move forward with the celestial spirits."

The two exorcists exchanged "I-really-don't-understand-what-they're-talking-about" looks just as Lucy spoke up.

"I still can't accept them," she said firmly, glancing at the two keys on the table. "Celestial magic is about trust and bonding… The owner can't be changed that easily." She smiled.

Yukino stared at the blonde for several moments before standing up and saying with a curt, "Fine."

"Eh?"

"I thought you'd say that. When the time is right, the twelve keys will meet again." Yukino smiled. "I hope the same can go for us."

With that, the former Sabertooth member left the room, leaving Lucy, Wendy, and Natsu deep in thought while Allen and Lavi deep in confusion.

"Well," said Lavi, breaking up the silence. He turned to Allen with a grin. "I'll take your plate down if you're done."

"Oh, thanks!" Allen watched as the redhead gathered up their plates and left the room quietly.

Lucy seemed to have recovered from the meeting with Yukino, as she stood up and stretched.

"Well, I'll be taking a shower then," she announced, heading to the washroom with a giggling Wendy.

"Natsu-san?" Allen timidly asked the fire mage, when they were left alone in the room. Natsu was still standing rooted to the spot, an unusually thoughtful expression on his face. Then, so fast that he appeared to be a blur, he suddenly sprinted towards the door, pulled it open, and ran out.

Allen just stared, bewildered.

* * *

_"Better hurry better hurry better hurry or else I'll lose her!"_ Natsu seemed to be chanting as he literally flew down the staircase to the lobby and bumped right into a red-haired figure who was taken aback by his sudden appearance.

"H-hey!" Lavi cried in bemusement.

"Sorry Gravy!" Natsu yelled and dashed right out into the streets. The Dragon Slayer stopped for a tad moment, sniffed, then looked to his right. He caught a glimpse of colored-hair.

"Found her! Hey! Wait up!" The fire mage took off at a sprint down the rocky, misshaped sidewalk.

"Natsu!"

Natsu turned his neck around to see Lavi chasing after him.

"Oh hey, Gravy!"

_"Don't "Oh hey, Gravy" me!"_ Lavi cried exasperatedly. "Where're you going!?"

Yukino, hearing the two boys' yells, turned around in alarm.

"Natsu-sama… And…" She paused at the sight of Lavi.

"He's Gravy!" Natsu exclaimed when he finally caught up with her.

"Gravy-sama." Yukino nodded to an annoyed Lavi. "What brings you here?" She asked quietly, looking at one boy to the other.

"Ah! You're not really a bad person, so I'm sorry!" said Natsu although he didn't sound very sincere.

Yukino was shocked.

"Did you… just apologize?"

"Hm? Well, you looked kind of melancholy, and I thought it was because of something I said…" There was a sheepish, apologetic smile playing on the fire mage's lips.

"It's not that…" Yukino assured him, although her mouth was trembling. Natsu and Lavi exchanged panic looks as she added, "I'm sorry."

"D-don't apologize, you'll make me feel bad…" Natsu sweat-dropped.

Tears suddenly dripped down onto the pavement.

"A-ah, d-don't cry, I feel embarrassed!" Natsu let out a half-shriek, half-roar.

"Are you alright?" Lavi extended out a hand to Yukino who had dropped to her knees, crying profusely.

"I-I can't take" —_hic_—"it anymore. No one has ever cared about how I feel…" she sobbed, looking pitiful. "I've… I've always wanted to join Sabertooth, and I finally made it last year." There was shaking movements from her body and her words were becoming more hard to comprehend as she kept burying her face. "But now… I can't"—_hic_—"go back anymore…"

"What do you mean?" Natsu and Lavi asked sharply in unison.

"I was kicked out… because of one failure. I was stripped naked in front of everyone and was forced to erase my insignia with my own hands…"

Lavi risked a look at Natsu and nearly wished he hadn't; there was a spine-chilling and intimidating look on the fire mage's face.

"I was so angry… so humiliated… they destroyed my self-esteem and memories… and now… now I have nowhere to go…"

The red-haired exorcist couldn't tell who was shaking more : Yukino or Natsu. He stood awkwardly between the two as a moment of silence went by.

"Sorry," Natsu finally spoke. "I don't know much about other guilds." He sounded very unsympathetic.

"No, I'm sorry." Yukino seemed to have calmed down. "Got carried away…"

"But being a mage… even though you're from another guild, I can imagine your pain… for being humiliated in public and being forced to remove your guild mark…"

Lavi and Yukino looked up at Natsu.

"_A guild that makes their fellow member cry… cannot call themselves a guild."_

* * *

"So… welcome back," Allen muttered. "You stupid, horrible feeling." He groaned, his insides withering again. Allen did not understand; he had ate, he had laid down earlier in his inn, and he had at least walked. And the feeling had passed. So why is that horrible feeling of dread now coming back? It felt almost nauseating.

"Ugh, what have I done to deserve this?" Allen asked weakly to no one in particular, sprawled out on the floor. _Stop feeling so nervous!_ He thought to himself almost angrily, gritting his teeth. He felt so nervous that it actually felt like actual pain. It was excruciating. Allen felt like curling up into a ball of pain.

"Allen?"

Allen turned around so abruptly that he cracked his neck. He bit his lip, refraining from letting out a yell as the images of Lucy and Wendy came into view, both of them in their pajamas and looking worried. _Why?_ He wondered.

"Um, Allen-san, you look a bit pale," Wendy said timidly. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine," Allen assured the two mages, smiling, rubbing his very sore neck. He noticed that he was sprawled in an awkward position and sat up cross-legged.

Lucy certainly didn't believe him, as she turned to Wendy and said, "There's a washcloth in the washroom. Bring it and boil some water in a bowl." Then she focused her attention on Allen, looking concerned. Her hair was still damp. Probably from the shower, he supposed. "Thank goodness you're wearing your coat."

"W-what?" Allen said feebly as Wendy rushed off. "Lucy-san, I'm fine, really—"

"Of course you don't!" Lucy shook her head. "You look sickly pale! You don't have to deny anything, Allen, just let me help." She smiled at him just as Wendy returned, a washcloth in hand as well as a bowl of hot water.

Allen watched, stiffed, as Lucy dipped the cloth into the water and wrung out the excess. Why couldn't anyone understand that he was fine and was just feeling anxious? Lavi, who thought he needed the infirmary just because of a concussion, Komui, who had stared at him almost pitifully and told him to quit his mission if he felt unwell, and now Lucy and Wendy, both viewing him as some sort of sick and weak patient.

So when Lucy was about to turn to press the hot cloth to his forehead, he had enough. He smacked her hand away. Hard.

The hot cloth fell to the floor a couple feet away. Wendy let out a gasp and covered her mouth. Lucy was still in position, one of her hand bright red. She looked startled.

"_Don't touch me_," Allen growled.

"I-I'm sorry…" Lucy nearly choked on her words. She hastily grabbed the cloth, her scared eyes still on Allen.

The sight of her so scared make him feel terribly awful, and he softened.

"N-no, it's my fault! Sorry!" Allen hurriedly got to his feet and bowed. "I should go look for Lavi now… I'll see you both tomorrow… I'm really sorry about what just happened," he mumbled, his eyes downcast. Then he left the room.

"L-Lucy-san?" Wendy's small voice almost echoed once the door closed. "Is your hand okay?"

Lucy took a deep breath.

"It's fine." She smiled at Wendy. "It was just kind of scary." She let out a shaky laugh. "But, it's strange…"

"W-what's strange?"

Lucy's voice was strained.

"His eyes were gold."

* * *

Outside the entrance door of the Honeybone Inn, Allen cursed.

_What happened to me? Did I blank out? _All he could remember was that the second he blinked, the cloth was on the floor and that Lucy was staring at him with terrified eyes.

_Did I perhaps knocked the cloth out of her hand?_ Allen thought sadly. _Great. Now I feel like a douche…._

His neck let out a dull throb, and he rubbed it. His head pain seemed to have gone away, at least.

Allen sighed.

"I am messed up today... anyway, I should go look for Lavi…" As the white-haired boy navigated his way out into the streets, he noticed something very odd.

_Huh? I'm not… nervous anymore?_

* * *

_BANG!_

"What the—!?"

_BANG!_

"Oi kid! What the hell's up with your hammer!?" An elderly man peered out of his apartment window to find Lavi flying past with his Innocence.

"Sorry about that!" Lavi yelled out to the annoyed man as his hammer constantly made impact with some object on the ground and let out another loud bang. "My hammer keeps touching things on the ground! It's better if you leave your laundry inside, old man!"

Lavi barely heard the old man's curses—the wind was pounding against his ears so fiercely that he wouldn't be surprised if he dismounted and became deaf. He focused his eye on the ground, searching for something. He found it. A pink blur that was whizzing its way towards its destination.

"Natsu!" Lavi bellowed down to the ground, but the blur did not stop. Instead, it seemed to have pick up its pace. Furious with himself, Lavi urged his Innocence to speed up. "Why can't this guy have excellent hearing instead of smell?!" Lavi groaned. "But where is he going?" Lavi asked himself, watching carefully as the pink blur sprinted into some plaza, and stopped right in front of a massive building.

Realizing his cue to dismount and counter Natsu as soon as possible, Lavi messed up his landing and tripped onto the ground. Groaning, he got up and deactivated his Innocence while staring around for a sign of Natsu. He frowned. He was standing in front of a very grand, fancy-looking building, complete with a humongous garden and a multi-colored water fountain. Why did Natsu come here of all places?

There was a sudden explosion that startled him—one of the walls of the building had just been destroyed, and Lavi could tell perfectly who did it. Coughing in the dust, the redhead burst into the hole and stopped dead. He had just walked into a room full of people. But not just any people.

Sabertooth.

"Where's your Master?!" Lavi heard a familiar voice yell out to the room, and he turned to see Natsu standing a few feet beside him, his fists balled up. Judging by the mark on one of Natsu's knuckles, Lavi was right—it was Natsu who had destroyed the wall and invaded Sabertooth's lodging.

"Wh-what's going on here!?" Lavi noticed the blond-haired boy, Sting Eucliffe. "What's Natsu-san doing here!?" He asked as a large man, seated in a fancy chair like a king spoke.

"What do you want kid?" The man's deep voice rumbled.

"So you're the Master?" Natsu spat coldly. "You kicked out a member just because of one failure? Do you find yourself very impressive?"

The Sabertooth Master merely grunted.

Apparently that response did not satisfy Natsu, who cracked his knuckles and stared hard at the man, as if determined to tear him into pieces.

"_So… If I beat you… Will you get kicked out as well?"_

Lav took a few steps back in alarm as he took in Natsu's menacing aura._ This is bad,_ Lavi thought, his panic-level rising. His hand lingered on his deactivated Innocence that was kept in a holster attached to his pants.

The whole room was full of mutters at Natsu's declaration until the Master, Jiemma, scoffed.

"Are you serious, brat?" he hissed.

"People who take their comrades for granted… _Unforgiveable_." Natsu spoke the last word like it was venom.

Lavi gazed at Natsu, almost in confusion.

_Is he talking about Yukino?_ The exorcist thought.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jiemma grunted, much to Natsu's anger, "but you're acting out of your own sense of justice, huh?"

"Did you just say you don't know what I'm talking about?" Natsu almost spat out.

Jiemma waved his hand around to give a command.

"Dobengal, be a reasonable opponent for him."

"Yes, sir."

Natsu was highly displeased. "You runnin' away?"

"It's a hundred years too early for you to beat me. If you want to fight with those on the top, show me that you're qualified to do so."

"Fight with me!" Natsu charged forward, his initial aim at Jiemma but was shortly blocked by Dobengal, a Sabertooth member with an appearance of a ninja.

"I won't let you get near the Master!" Dobengal launched an attack at the fire mage.

"GET OUT OF MY WAAAAY! I have no use for you!" Natsu, easily having dodged the attack, burst forth and knocked him out dead with a single, powerful, lightning blow.

_Th-this guy!_ Lavi now gawked at Natsu with deep respect. _I was planning to use my Innocence just a few seconds earlier, but it seems like I didn't need to… Natsu…_ Lavi grinned, _you're strong…_

The room was alive with hushed mutters and cries. Every single worried eye was on the Sabertooth Master, whose face was expressionless.

"Master, let me—" Sting was cut off when Jiemma raised a hand to silence him.

"Stay back. We don't have any brats like him here… Amusing…" He came face-to-face with Natsu, and let out a cry.

Natsu, without warning, already sent his fist right into Jiemma's gut. Natsu then struck a punch right in the jaw.

"I'm not done yet!" The Fairy Tail mage bellowed. His other fist was alive with such fiery, hot flames that Lavi's eye begun to water just staring at it.

"_**Dragon's Lightning Flame Iron Strike!"**_

_My eye!_ Lavi cringed as a blast of energy light blurred his eye vision and he stumbled backwards. The room was in chaos; people were screaming everywhere and Lavi could smell smoke and burnt ash.

There was a humongous explosion; Natsu's attacked had rebounded and collided with one of the walls.

"W-what's going on?" Lavi coughed, covering his mouth with his scarf as the smoke and dust around him started to clear.

A young woman stood between an unharmed Jiemma and Natsu, dressed in a blue Eastern-like attire. There were bun-shaped loops at both sides of her head and she wore a look of some sort of amusement.

"M-Minerva!" Jiemma gasped.

The lady ignored him and stared at the Fairy Tail mage. There was something in her eyes that Lavi detested.

"Were you the one that caused all of this ruckus? You and your friend there?" Minerva gave Lavi a cold smile which he did not return.

"Wha—Gravy!?" Natsu spun around and gaped at the redhead, as if just realizing that he was there. "When did you—?!"

"I've been here for quite some time," the exorcist spoke carefully. The tension between Sabertooth and Natsu was like ice.

Natsu gave Jiemma and Minerva a look of disgust before turning to him.

"Let's go, Gravy."

Lavi didn't say anything but obeyed, awkwardly following the Dragon Slayer out of the building, but not before Natsu stopped in his tracks.

"We won't lose to the likes of you guys," he suddenly declared, loud and clear for the entire room to hear, "and you won't surpass us."

There was a pause.

"If you're a guild, take care of your nakama. That's all I have to say."

* * *

It was extremely late by the time Lavi returned to the Great Caramel Inn. He paused outside of room 281 and sighed. Before splitting up with Natsu, the fire mage had given him what Lavi could decipher as a lecture.

"Seriously, Gravy, don't put me in a bad position. I mean, I know I'm great an' all, but don't follow me again. You might get hurt. You were lucky I was there," Natsu had said.

Lavi had resisted the urge to retort back, mainly because he was exhausted but also that he knew arguing with Natsu was useless.

He sighed again. He pulled out the key and opened the door quietly. Already he could hear Bak's obnoxious snoring and Lenalee's frequent table-kicking thuds. He closed the door, and turned around.

And met Allen.

"Welcome back, Lavi," Allen muttered with his arms crossed, his voice loud enough not to arouse Lenalee and Bak but enough so that Lavi could detect the coldness in it.

_Oh… crap…_ Lavi deliberately forgot that he left Allen at the Honeybone Inn.

"A-Allen, I can explain, dude—"

"Please do." His voice was still icy. Lavi had to admit that Allen looked intimidating; murderous even, with half of his face covered in the darkness and the other moonlight.

"Natsu ran off somewhere and I… well, I tailed him." Lavi scowled at himself. It sounded like a lame excuse.

"I see." There was no mercy in Allen's eyes yet. "Meanwhile, I searched _all over the place_—"

"C'mon, Allen, don't get mad now," Lavi whispered hastily. "I mean, Natsu just broke into the Sabertooth's lodging—"

"He what?" Lavi seemed to have captured Allen's attention.

Lavi quietly recalled what happened; how Natsu invaded the lodging, Minerva's appearance, and Natsu's declaration.

Allen just shook his head when Lavi was finished.

"I can't believe Natsu-san did that," he murmured, though he sounded awed. "Was he trying to get himself killed?"

"I think he did it for the Yukino girl..."

"But still... That sort of thing was reckless."

"I know, eh?" Lavi was glad to hear some of the iciness vanishing from Allen's tone. "What do you think Sabertooth will do? They won't do that to Fairy Tail, would they?"

"I'm not sure," Allen replied quietly. A look of worriedness was etched across his face. "I suppose they'll have to settle it in the Games, wouldn't they?"

"Guess so." Lavi stretched, and immediately this action caused Allen to scowl.

"Lavi, I haven't forgiven you for ditching me yet."

"Wha—c'mon, dude! You always ditched me!" Lavi countered back.

"Fine!" Allen stubbornly gave in. "And keep your voice down!"

After a lot of bickering, the two exorcists finally fell asleep. Neither of them noticed that the shadows in the room suddenly moved and vanished.

* * *

"What was that?" Gray asked, bemused when he and Erza walked back to their own inn. "They didn't do anything. Lavi just walked in."

"Yes." Erza sighed. "It's truly a shame that they couldn't have spoken louder... I was intrigued by their conversation."

Gray gazed at her, almost in awe.

"You can have crazy ideas sometimes, Erza…"

"All in all, it didn't turn out for the best, did it? We hardly found any useful information."

"So, what are we going to do? Keep a closer eye on them?"

"I suppose so," replied Erza. She paused for a moment before adding, "I also believe that we should keep Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy out of this. They're all too friendly and soft with them. For all we know, the Apostles could be our enemy."

Gray looked satisfied. No doubt that he'd been thinking the exact same thing.

"I agree," he said. "Especially taking their unusual powers into consideration..."

Jellal's words echoed in Erza's mind.

_There's a mysterious source surrounding the arena, but we don't know what it is._

* * *

**Third Day : July 3rd, X791**

* * *

"_Welcome, everyone, to the third day of the Grand Magic Games! We have finally entered the middle portion of the competition today!"_ Chapati had to yell into his microphone five times as loud to be heard over the deafening roars and screams of the audience. More people had come to spectate today, making the arena as lively and chaotic as ever.

"What kind of fierce dramas will we see today?" Yajima added, and more cheers erupted in response.

"_Today's guest is Lahar-san from the Magic Council!"_ Chapati indicated to an important-looking man who was seated beside Yajima, dressed in a high-ranking Council attire.

Lahar pushed his circular-lensed glasses further up his nose and smiled at the applause from the many crowds. "It's been awhile."

"_Lahar-san, your position is Captain of the Custody Enforcement Squad, is it?"_

"Indeed. Any impropriety in the Games will not be tolerated." Lahar sounded very firm and strict. There were mutters at his words; many people in the audience were talking amongst themselves, clearly debating which guilds had acted unjustly.

Chapati cleared his throat loudly to capture the audience's attention.

"_Let's move right into the competition, shall we?! Today's competition is called Pandemonium!"_

"Panda? Gramps would've killed to see this." Lavi rearranged his eye patch.

"Seriously, just what part of Pandemonium is Panda, Lavi?" Allen sighed.

"_So, there will be one participant from each team!"_

"I WILL—!"

"I will go," Erza calmly volunteered, cutting off Natsu.

"_Hey hey hey_ Erza! Whaddya doin', send m—"

"Let me handle this, Natsu." Erza simply marched up to the battlefield, Lucy and Wendy giving her good lucks and Gray calming down a thrashing Natsu.

"_All right! The first to step up is Fairy Tail A's Erza Scarlet!" _There was a loud applause mixed with some booings.

"They're still not fond of Fairy Tail yet, huh?" Ren of Pegasus shook his head in disappointment.

"But there's a drastic difference today. More people have started cheering for them." Hibiki pointed out. He was correct—all over the seats, apart from the Fairy Tail guild itself, there were a bunch of spectators yelling out Erza's name in delight, some of them even waving around a flag of the guild's mark.

"Guess you're right." Ren grinned. "Anyway, why don't you go for Pandemonium? Show them what you're made of."

"Alright then." Hibiki stepped up.

"_From Blue Pegasus, Hibiki Lates! Oh my, just listen to their cheers!"_ Chapati chuckled as whole dozen of Hibiki's fangirls swooned. One of them even passed out.

A wavy brown-haired young woman, suddenly walked into the field and declared, "I will go for Fairy Tail Team B!"

"Just a second!" Gajeel looked mind blown just as Chapati announced, _"Very well! From Fairy Tail B, Cana Alberona!"_ He pointed a finger accusingly at Cana. "What are you doing here!?"

"Since the guest judge is a member of the Magic Council, Mystogan can't come out, can he?" Cana hissed to Gajeel, as Mirajane nodded in understanding.

Milianna was talking earnestly to Kagura.

"Er-chan is going out, so can I?!" she pleaded the Mermaid Heel leader.

"I'll allow it then."

"_From Mermaid Heel, we have Milianna!"_

"Don't lose now, Er-chan!" Milianna exclaimed cheerfully to Erza, who could only manage a smile in return.

Alexei turned to Obra.

"We're in front of a Council member. Don't do anything unnecessary, Obra," he commanded quietly.

"_Stepping up is Obra from Raven Tail!"_

"Alright, Allen, it's either gonna be you or me." Lavi and Allen stared at each other right in the eye.

"You go," they both spoke in unison after a few moments.

"I thought we settled this last night?"

"What are you talking about, man? I_ clearly_ said—"

"'Kay, you know what? Let's just settle this the old-fashioned way."

After a moment's game of Rock Paper Scissors, Lavi let out a cheer. "I win! Don't cry now, Allen!" The redhead grinned at the glum expression on his friend's face.

"Oi, usagi. I don't care if you win in first place, but if you get ranked last, I will so murder you." Kanda glared at Lavi.

"T-thanks for the prep talk, Yuu…"

"_From Apostles, we have Lavi!"_

"GOOOOO, LAVI!" Bak's familiar screech was heard throughout the stadium.

"Whoaa, Gravy's going!" Natsu stopped thrashing around and stared down at the field. "This is the first time I'll get to see him fight!"

"I have to say I'm also rather interested," added Gray, his eyes trained on Lavi's back as he entered the field.

"I wonder what kind of magic Lavi-san has?" Wendy asked excitedly.

Sabertooth's Orga turned to Rufus and Minerva.

"I'll go for this one. I'll turn everyone into black lightning chili." There was a wry smile on his lips.

"_Stepping up for Sabertooth is Orga Nanagear! Will he be able to reclaim their previous ranking?!"_

"Did he really have to mention that?" Sting scowled at the emcee as Rufus smirked.

"Who was it that got us zero points in yesterday's competition?"

"Shut up."

"Jura-san, you're going?!" Chelia gaped at the large Lamia Scale player.

Lyon sighed.

"Obaba's orders… can't be helped."

Jura grinned. "Just leave it to me."

"_Oh wow! Iron Rock Jura has volunteered! This will be quite some sight!" _Chapati announced and the audience went crazy.

Now that every participant from each guild had gathered on the field, Mato suddenly popped out of nowhere and laughed apologetically.

"Hello everyone! Yesterday was my day off, so my apologies~pum!" He exclaimed happily. "Now, I'll explain the rules of Pandemonium."

There was a humongous rumbling sound.

"What the—?!" The players cried out in alarm, some of them losing their balance as a huge structure was slowly ascending up from the ground right in front of them.

"Everyone~pum!" Mato yelled over the deafening sounds as the giant structure begun to rise higher and higher, "please step back a bit!"

"A bit" was sort of an understatement. Lavi had to take seven gigantic leaps backwards as the entire stadium rumbled. Then there was a huge sound and the ground stopped shaking. He stared at the structure with a wide eye, lost for words.

_Hey, Gramps, can I ask you something? What's Pandamommyum?_

_Pandemonium, idiot apprentice. And are you reading that book again?_

_I'm just curious. What is it? It doesn't look very pretty…_

_Well, Junior, you are right about that. Pandemonium can be classified as a place full of uproar and chaos. It is—_

"_The temple where evil monsters nest,_" Mato proclaimed joyfully.

"It-it's hugeeeeee!" Cana cried out, her eyes bulging.

"Where evil monsters nest, you say?" Jura asked the mascot, who nodded at once.

Lavi swallowed hard. What appeared to be in front of him was what he would call instead "The Gate to Hell". He sneaked looks at the other players— Erza looked calm, Milianna excited, Hibiki was collecting information on his Archive, Orga looked slightly interested—Lavi shook his head. _These people are crazy… There're monsters in there…_ Lavi shuddered at the temple.

"Eh? What's wrong with Lavi?" Lenalee asked concernedly, staring at the Lacrima featuring the redhead.

"He looks tense…" Allen felt rather pitiful for him.

"But that's the temple?" Lenalee said worriedly. One Lacrima focused on the inside of Pandemonium, which was eerily empty and dark at the moment. "It looks scary…"

Mato cleared his throat.

"Within the temple, there are a hundred monsters." There were panicked looks shot his way before he quickly added, "Well, they're called that, but they're actually magical tools that we've created. They won't attack any of you in the audience or anything like that, so rest assured!"

_Rest assured?! I'm gonna be the one to get attacked!_ Lavi now sincerely regretted his decision to go with Paper— Allen should've won.

"The monsters are divided into five levels of battle powers. May the players please look at the stone board?"

**S X 1 (*****(****ｴ****)*****)**

**A X 4 ****ʕ****̡****̢****̡****ʘ****̅****͟****͜****͡****ʘ****̲̅****ʔ****̢****̡****̢**

**B X 15 ****ʕ****̡****̢****̡****ʘ****̅****͟****͜****͡****ʘ****̲̅****ʔ****̢****̡****̢**

**C X 30 ****ʕ****̡****̢****̡****ʘ****̅****͟****͜****͡****ʘ****̲̅****ʔ****̢****̡****̢**

**D X 50 ****ʕ****̡****̢****̡****ʘ****̅****͟****͜****͡****ʘ****̲̅****ʔ****̢****̡****̢**

"Incidentally," Mato went on, "in regards to the kind of strength that D-class monsters have—" A bang suddenly stopped him mid-sentence.

The Lacrima that was focused on the inside of the temple suddenly shook. A D-class monster emerged out of nowhere, and blasted one of the rooms, revealing a statue inside. Everyone in the arena screamed as it charged head-on with the beautiful statue and demolished it into pieces, gnawing it with its unseen teeth.

Mato smiled. "And that's only a D-class monster. Ones like that, and even stronger ones than that… The place where one hundred of them are lurking around, that is Pandemonium~pum!"

Everyone in the stands and audience looked tense.

Mato continued, "As the class goes up, please keep in mind that the battle power goes up exponentially. The S-class monster has such strength that even one of the Ten Wizard Saints can't be guaranteed to beat it."

_I'm done for,_ Lavi moaned. He gazed at Jura, who was slightly offended by Mato's words. _If this guy, a Wizard Saint, won't be able to defeat the S-class monster, how can I?_

"Now, in order, each of you will take turns selecting a number of monsters to fight with. This is called your 'Challenge Right'. For example, if one chooses '3', three monsters will appear. And if that person succeeds in defeating the three monsters, that competitor gets three points. Then, the next player may exercise their 'Challenge Right' amongst the remaining ninety-seven monsters. This will continue until the number of remaining monsters drop down to zero."

"It's like a counting game then," said one of the players.

"Exactly," beamed Mato. "But situational judgment becomes important. Like I mentioned before, the monsters have ranks. So be it one monster or five monsters that you choose, it's a system where the monsters appear randomly."

_That means I could get a B or A-class monster on my first try…_ Lavi groaned again,_ or even worse, the S-class…_

"Points are given for the number of monsters defeated, not according to the monsters' rank," Mato warned. "Once you've entered the temple, you won't be able to withdraw until you've won."

"What happens if you lose and go down inside the temple?" Cana asked.

"Then the number of points you've earned up until that point will be as it is, but the number of victories for that specific turn will be zero and you'll exit like that," the pumpkin explained.

"So Lavi has to kill as many as monsters as possible," said Allen, looking thoughtful.

"It's unexpectedly difficult, isn't it? Just one monster is bad enough, but if you pick only one, the other players will gain on you…" Lenalee sighed. "And he might be exhausting out his stamina…"

"Well, we'll just have to see what happens…"

Down below, Mato took out a fancy can full of sticks.

"Please draw your lots, everyone," he commanded to the players.

Lavi drew his lot. A huge number seven gazed back at him.

"I'm seventh," he muttered.

"First." He heard Erza mutter and grimaced. _So Erza gets the advantage…_

The Fairy Tail mage stared at her stick for a moment, as if deciding something. Then she turned to Mato.

"I was thinking this competition would all come down to the luck of draw…"

The mascot blinked. "Luck of the draw? No, no… How should I put this? It's a game where maintaining your pace and situational judgment are more important than just the order of the battle…"

"No."

Mato and the players looked startled.

"With this" —Erza smirked at her stick—"it's no longer a game."

She looked up, a fiercely determined expression set in place.

"_All one hundred monsters will be my opponent. My challenge right will be 100."_

Every single person in the entire stadium let out a gasp at her sudden declaration. Then appreciation of laughter erupted from Fairy Tail— each guild member cheered Erza on as she made her way into the temple.

"J-just a second! Th-that's impossible!" Mato cried after her retreating back. "It's not set up so that one person could possibly defeat them all!"

"I don't care."

"Erza has just saved Lavi's behind." Allen had to shook his head in amusement at the dumbfound look on the redhead's face. His smile faltered, however, when Erza entered the temple and the entrance closed, leaving the entire stadium breathless.

* * *

_The Grand Magic Games, Day 3, Pandemonium._

_I think I'll never forget the events of this day._

_As she becomes covered with wounds—__**there was a cry, a slash, and a roar**__—the fairy that should've fallen to earth—__**a scramble of feet getting up**__— instead dances—__**she charged, her swords raised, her battle cry echoing.**_

_Here is Titania—__**"Erza! Do your best!" "Don't give up now!" "Go Fairy Taillllll!"**__._

_Almost like… A scarlet flower—__**"Erza! Hang in there, you're doing great!" "There's only one more left!" "You can do this!" "Go, Erzaaaaaaaaaa!"**_ _**—**__blooming fully—__**Natsu smiled, Fairy Tail cried**__—with pride—__**she stood proud and tall, her sword raised up high**__._

* * *

"_UN-UNBELIEVABLEEEEEEEEEEEEE! SOMEHOW, BY A SINGLE PERSON… ALL 100 MONSTERS HAVE BEEN DEFEATED! IS THIS THE STRENGTH OF THE GUILD SAID TO BE THE STRONGEST SEVEN YEARS AGO!? FAIRY TAIL A'S ERZA SCARLET DOMINATES! A MASSIVE VICTORY THAT BROOKS NO COMPLAINTS!" _Chapati shouted himself hoarse, but none as hoarse as the audience who were bellowing out praises.

"_Just what is she!?"_

"_I think I remember! Fairy Tail's strongest female mage, Erza Scarlet!"_

"_Titania Erza!"_

The entire guild of Fairy Tail were beside themselves with joy ("THAT'S FAIRY TAIL FOR YAAAA!") as Erza exited the temple, wounds covering her body but still looking stable.

"ERZAAAAAA!" She turned around to see Team Fairy Tail A rushing towards her and engulfing her into a bone-crushing hug.

"As expected of you, amazing!" Gray and Lucy were beaming.

"FIGHT WITH ME AFTERWARDS!" Natsu declared and she sighed in amusement.

Up in the stands, Team Apostles was flabbergasted. Even Kanda, though the brief surprised look on his face immediately vanished and was replaced with a scowl.

"Tch. It's just a hundred monsters…" He scowled again as the audience kept on screaming themselves hoarse.

Allen narrowed his eyes.

"You won't probably be able to defeat five of those monsters, so don't be talking, Yu Kanda."

"What did you say, Stupid Walker?"

"Have you two ever heard of this game called Shut Up?" Lenalee interjected coldly and the two boys lapsed into silence.

"But really, Kanda, I think Erza-san's totally stronger than you," Allen said conversationally after few moments to the samurai, who merely made a 'tch_' _sound, but Allen was sure he could detect a look of respect even in Kanda's dark eyes.

"That was amazing!" Lenalee was covering her mouth in shock. "I can't believe it… Especially against that S-class monster…"

"Erza-san… Now I definitely don't want to meet her on the battlefield." Allen slightly shuddered as Lenalee gave a nervous laugh.

"Lavi has to thank her later." The redhead was looking intensely relieved.

"_OH MY! The huge applause has still not stopped!"_ Chapati cried out. _"Pandemonium has been completely suppressed! Fairy Tail A earns 10P!"_

Allen clapped along with the crowd as the applause turned louder and louder as Erza made her way back up into the stands, surrounded by her teammates who were still congratulating her.

"_Well, ladies and gentlemen, since Pandemonium has ended in a rather unusual fashion, there has been a discussion which has concluded that the remaining seven teams must finish establishing a rank order. It's a little uncommon, but we've prepared a simple game," _the emcee announced.

"Magic Power Finder—MPF." Mato beamed as a floating device encasing a small, blue orb appeared beside him.

"When this device is struck with magical power, that power is represented numerically. Those numerical values will be used to establish a ranking," he explained to the remaining players.

_This is bad…_ Lavi pressed his lips together, _I'm not a mage… What's going to happen when I hit it?_

"We'll continue with the order that was determined previously~pum."

Milianna stepped forward. "Then it starts with me!" She stood face-to-face with the MPF. "Here I go! _**Kitten Blast**__!"_

There was a beeping noise as the MPF calculated her score.

**365**

The audience let out mutters. Mato scratched his head.

"Er, we don't really know if that number is high or not, without any basis for comparison," said Chapati uncertainly.

Lahar shook his head. "No. The Rune Knights also use this device. That's a high number. It's at a level sufficient enough to become a squad captain."

"Then it's not that high…"

"_Next up is Hibiki!"_

"He's gonna lose…" Ren sighed.

**95**

"I was right…"

"_Raven Tail's Obra is up next!"_

Everyone waited with baited breath at the participant of the highest-ranked guild. Then Obra released a cat which jumped at the MPF.

**4**

"_EHHHHHHHH?! FOUUUR?!"_

"WHA—! He's messing with us!" Gray and Natsu shouted as Obra returned to his spot looking expressionless.

"Well, it is rather unfortunate," said Mato as the spectators muttered to one another, "but there're no redos…."

A Sabertooth member stepped forward to thundering cheers.

"_Orga's stepping in! Wow, listen to that applause!"_

"Alright." Orga flexed his muscles and got into position.

"_**120 mm Black Lightning Canon!"**_

**3825**

"_G-good lord! Three thousand….!"_ Chapati and the entire audience were speechless.

"That's t-ten times my score!" Milianna nearly fainted.

"_Hey hey hey _what's up with that guy?!" Natsu and Gray cried in unison.

"As expected of Orga-kun!" Lector the Exceed cheered. "When it comes to power, he's the strongest!"

"Strongest! Strongest number one~"

"Um, I think that's enough singing~pum."

Chapati rubbed his hands together in excitement as a large player advanced forward. _"Well then! We look forward to seeing whether, Jura, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, can surpass this number…"_

"Heh. Jura will win, without a doubt," Lyon Vastia said confidently.

Jura clasped his hands together, as if in prayer.

"_**Rumbling Mt. Fuji!"**_

**8544**

Everybody's eyeballs rolled off. "WHAAT THE FWHAAAA!?"

"OLD MAN, AIN'T THAT TOOOOOO MUCH!?" Gray and Natsu cried incredulously.

"_A-amazing! This is a new record for MPF!"_ There were thundering cheers and yells. _"The title of Wizard Saints isn't just for show!"_

"Lavi's done for." Allen refrained from laughing. The look on the eye-patch boy's face was priceless as Jura returned to his spot.

"At least if he gets higher than four, he won't be ranked last," Lenalee said hopefully.

"_Alright! Apostles' Lavi is next!"_

"Oooh it's Gravy turn!" Natsu gazed at the exorcist with concentration. "What magic is he gonna use?"

"Maybe it's powerful enough to beat Jura-san's!" exclaimed Wendy.

"Eight thousand though…" said Lucy.

"You never know," Erza cut in. She looked highly curious. "He might beat it."

"Show them what you've got~pum!" Mato told Lavi cheerfully as the redhead paced forth.

"Alright… Here I go." Lavi seized his Innocence that was resting in the holster.

Many people whispered at this.

"He's using a weapon?"

"That shouldn't be allowed, should it?"

Lavi took a deep breath, and threw his hammer up into the air.

There was a burst of blue light and a few seconds later, a big, heavy hammer dropped down from the sky and fell into its master's hands.

Everyone let out yelps and shrieks of alarm.

"_G-good lord!"_ Chapati gasped as Lavi swung his hammer around like it was made of plastic and the onlookers cheered and whistled in awed, _"will you look at that, ladies and gentlemen!? Apostles' Lavi has just summoned a gigantic hammer out of nowhere!"_

"WHOA!" cried Lucy and Natsu in unison.

"That's incredible!" Wendy squealed.

"HAHAHAHA,THAT'S FREAKIN' AWESOMEEEEE!" Natsu was mind blown. "I didn't know Gravy could do that! What is he, some hammer master!?"

"T-that's crazy!" Gray croaked. "J-just how—?" He stared at Erza, who was also simply lost for words.

The pumpkin was beside himself with joy.

"Amazing, amazing~pum!" he kept saying.

_Alrighty, let's go, lil'hammer…_ Lavi positioned himself into a stance and swung his Innocence around. Multi-elemental seals appeared before the Accommodator 's head.

"_Innocence, unlock! Level 2 : __**Combo Stamp: Terrible Lightning of Heaven**__!" _The hammer clashed with two of the seals.

Everyone screamed in alarm as an alarmingly large snake conjured out of flames and iron arose out of nowhere. The large snake was so bright it nearly blinded everyone in the vicinity.

"_G-good gracious! Did the snake just hit the MPF!?" _Chapati yelled as there was a huge clang and many people cried out.

"_Hey, old man!_ What's the score?! Everything's so bright I can't see!" Natsu bellowed to the emcee.

The dazzling light vanished as if in response to Natsu's answer, and there were several gasps.

**0**

The entire stadium was speechless.

"_U-UNBELIEVABLE! AN ATTACK LIKE THAT, YET ZERO POINTS?!" _Chapati exclaimed after a few moments.

"YOU'RE KIDDING ME RIGHT!?" Lucy's and Natsu's jaws dropped.

"That attack didn't work? Why?!" Wendy was astonished.

Gray and Erza, however, exchanged meaningful looks as the audience cried out in dismay.

"What was that?!"

"Some stupid magic trick?!"

"That's cheap, boy!" Many of the spectators were rounding on Lavi, who was still standing rooted to the spot, a grim expression on his face.

"Sorry! Sorry!" He apologized to the angry onlookers, and walked back to his spot.

_I knew it… Innocence doesn't affect that MPF-thing…._

"_Hey hey hey_ Gravyyyyyy!" Lavi could hear Natsu now. He turned around wearily, expecting Natsu to trash him like the others but it surprisingly did not come.

"TEACH ME HOW TO DO THAT MOVE!" The fire mage was bellowing excitedly, like a kid wanting to try out a new technique he just saw.

Lavi sighed in amusement and gave a thumbs-up.

"That was some impressive skill," Hibiki complimented the redhead. He smirked. "I never heard of any magic involving a hammer…" The Blue Pegasus player released his Archive and started clacking away. "May I ask what magic you use?"

"Sure. It's called 'I-don't-know,'" Lavi replied brightly and Hibiki looked flabbergasted.

"Well, it looks like Lavi's ranked last," Allen commented in a flat voice as Cana advanced forward for her turn.

Kanda scowled. "Innocence didn't work on that MPF-thing. He's lucky he's got a reasonable excuse or else I would've slaughtered him."

"_Alright! Our last challenger is Fairy Tail B's Cana Alberona! Let's see if she can surpass Apostles' Lavi's score! Well, she obviously can, but uh... Let's see, shall we?" _Chapati announced, earning a scowl from Lavi.

"Hnnn? It's finally my turn?" Cana asked, her words slightly slurred. "O.K then! I'm gonna strike!" She stripped off her jacket and positioned her right forearmwhere there was a dark tattoo imprinted.

"W-what is she going to do?" Lenalee asked, gawking at Cana's intense, determined grin.

"Whatever it is, it's for sure going to beat Lavi's."

Cana stared up into the heavens.

"_Gather! O, river of light that's guided by the fairies!"_

A radiance of merciless light suddenly blinded the entire arena.

"W-what's going on?!" Many spectators cried.

"S-so bright!"

"Am I in heaven!?"

Allen, eyes watering from the blinding impact, heard Cana's voice.

"_Shine! In order to perish the fangs of evil! __**Fairy Glitter**__!"_

There was a massive _boom!_ and Allen felt himself stumbling back from the sudden surge of the wind; the entire stadium was sprinkled in golden light.

Chapati suddenly spoke.

"WHA…. WHAT IS THIS?! THE— THE MPF HAS JUST…!"

Allen blinked multiple times at the MPF. "Eh…?"

**9999**

"WHAAAAAAAAT THE—?! THE MPF BROKE?!" Everyone shouted.

"S-SHE MAXED IT OUT!"

"C-CRAZYYYYY!"

"_AMAZING!"_ cried Chapati. _"It's a 1-2 finish for the competition portion! Nobody can stop Fairy Tail now!"_

"WE'RE UNSTOPPABLE!" Cana hollered to the cheering onlookers, "WE'RE FAIRY TAIL AFTER ALL~!"

"Cana just wiped all of us off the field." Hibiki grimaced. "Especially you," he added to Lavi who merely groaned.

The stone board abruptly flashed new rankings.

"_Here are the current standings, everyone!"_

**GAME RANK &amp; SCORE**

**1.** **FAIRY TAIL A** 10**P**

**2.**** FAIRY TAIL B** 8**P**

**3.**** LAMIA SCALE** 6**P**

**4.**** SABERTOOTH** 4**P**

**5****. MERMAID HEEL** 3**P**

**6.**** BLUE PEGASUS** 2**P**

**7.**** RAVEN TAIL** 1**P**

**8.**** APOSTLES** 0**P**

There was a flash.

**Final Rankings**

**1.**** RAVEN TAIL** 34 + 1 = **35P**

**2.**** SABERTOOTH** 20 + 4 = **24P**

**3.**** LAMIA SCALE** 18 + 6 = **24P**

**4.**** APOSTLES** 23 + 0 = **23P**

**5.**** MERMAID HEEL** 18 + 3 = **21P**

**6.**** FAIRY TAIL B** 12 + 8 = **20P**

**7.**** BLUE PEGASUS** 16 + 2 = **18P**

**8.**** FAIRY TAIL A** 7 + 10 = **17P**

"GAHHH! Gajeel's team is ahead of us!" Natsu was most displeased.

"I can't believe we're still last…" Lucy sighed.

"At least we're not in the single digits anymore though." Gray pointed out, as Erza nodded.

"Erza, aren't you suppose to be in the infirmary…?"

"I'm fine."

"But still! I can't believe Gravy got 0 on the MPF!" Natsu shook his head in disbelief. "That snake was sick!"

"I was rather excited myself," Lucy agreed. "I've never seen magic like that before."

"I know, right Luce?! Ooooh, I wonder if Gravy will let me eat his snake! It was full of fire, right?! Maybe I'll gain some, I dunno, some awesome, hidden power!" Natsu cackled gleefully, causing Lucy to roll her eyes in amusement.

The players returned back to the stands to tremendous applause.

* * *

"You did great, Lavi." Allen beamed at the taller boy when he arrived. "Zero points!"

"Allen, stop it, dude. The sarcasm hurts." Bookman's apprentice cringed.

"Sorry. I was trying to make you feel better."

"Oi, usagi." Lavi turned around to face a glowering Kanda.

"E-easy now, Yuu…" The redhead expected Kanda to thrash at him, but surprisingly the samurai exorcist took a different approach.

"Did the MPF thing react with your Innocence?" Kanda asked impatiently as Chapati's voice started all over the arena again (_"All right! Let's begin with the battles for today!")._

Lavi blinked, then frowned.

"No, it definitely didn't… I didn't get a score, did I?" he replied in a low voice. All the exorcists lapsed into silence, looking skeptical and thoughtful.

Allen spoke up after a few moments.

"But, Kanda, why did you ask that?" he addressed the samurai.

"You don't get it, do you? This means that there are some things Innocence cannot affect in this world, and that'll put us at a great disadvantage."

"Great disadvantage?" Allen looked blank just as Marie nodded.

"If you think about what just happened with Lavi and the MPF, Innocence makes us stand out," Marie explained calmly.

"I don't get it…"

"Think of it this way, Allen," Lavi interjected, "we entered the Games, right? And what did everyone think we were?"

"Mages."

"Right, because….?"

Allen thought for a moment.

"We have Innocence that people think is magic?"

"Right." Lavi nodded. "But what happens when people start to realize that we're not really mages?"

_What will happen…._

Allen finally cottoned on.

"We'll be in trouble," he responded slowly, "because no one has ever seen Innocence before, so…"

"The so-called Magic Council and the officials here might interrogate us," Kanda snapped. "Get it now, moyashi?"

"It's bad enough that we've just performed right in front of a Council member." Marie nodded at Lahar sitting in the top box.

"Sooner or later, we might really blow our cover," Lenalee added worriedly. She sighed. "Nii-san and Bak-san didn't plan this out very thoroughly…"

Allen felt very overwhelmed as he scanned his teammates' stressed expressions.

"But… There's nothing we can do, can we?" he told them.

"Nope," Lavi agreed simply.

"Tch. All we can do is just find the Innocence in here and get out." Kanda was looking sour again.

"Eh? You mean the Innocence is located around here?"

Kanda gave Allen a look, as if he was being stupid.

"You can't sense it, moyashi? There's some sort of power surrounding the arena."

* * *

"_All right! Let's get started with the battle portion, shall we!?"_ Thousands of cheers and screams cried in response.

"_First match of the day! Mermaid Heel's Milianna versus Apostles' Lavi!"_

"Wha— me?! Seriously?!" Lavi was looking flabbergasted. He turned around to face Allen. "I was so sure they were going to pick you!"

"But they didn't." Allen pointed out.

"Good luck, Lavi!" Lenalee gave the redhead a thumbs up as he headed down.

"_O.K! Time limit is twenty-five minutes!"_ Chapati told Milianna and Lavi, once both parties were on the field, _"you may begin!"_

There was a gong noise.

The Mermaid Heel player made the first move, startling Lavi, who was utterly unprepared.

"Here I go! _**Nekōsoku Tube!**_" A pink, long magical rope conjured up out of nowhere and attempted to seize Lavi, who fortunately dodged out of the way.

"J-just a second!" he cried, "I haven't even activat—GAH!" Lavi rolled out of the way as Milianna lunged her rope at him and missed.

"Hey! No"—_whip_ — "running!" —_whip_ —"That's"—_whip_—"unfair!" cried Milianna, striking the rope at Lavi with each syllable but the exorcist managed to duck her attacks.

Chapati and the audience scratched their heads at this scene, watching Milianna flinging around her rope and Lavi bewilderedly dodging them.

"_Well, somehow this has turned into some sort of game…"_ The emcee said uncertainly and the crowd laughed.

Allen face-palmed as Lenalee laughed.

"Just what is Lavi doing? He should've activated his Innocence long ago…"

_Seriously, what is up with this girl!? Gimme a break, man! _Lavi side-stepped another strike, nearly tripping in the process.

"_**Kitten Blast!"**_

"ACK!" The exorcist dodged sideways and did a half-cartwheel as Milianna's attack flew past him and erupted onto the ground.

"T-that was close…" Lavi panted. He quickly seized his hammer.

"_Innocence, activate!"_

Chapati and the spectators let out ooohs.

"_There it is again, ladies and gentlemen! Apostles' Lavi's hammer! Now what will he do!?"_

Lavi grinned at the nervous expression on his opponent's face. He pointed the hammer at her.

"I'm gonna give you a taste of your medicine." He paused as the elemental seals appeared. _"Unlock, Level 2 : __**Fire Stamp: Hellfire and Ash!**__"_

Milianna let out a shriek as a torrent of a intimidating snake in the form of flames appeared around Lavi then shot its way towards her. It hissed menacingly.

She fainted.

"Huh? Seriously?" Lavi stood there, his snake vanishing as the entire stadium let out cheers.

"_M-Milanna has fainted! Victor, Apostles' Lavi!"_

Lavi shook his head in dismay at his unconscious opponent on the ground as Bak and the onlookers roared and hurrahed.

"You deserved that," he said, walking away.

* * *

"_Moving on to the second battle! Sabertooth's Rufus versus Blue Pegasus' Eve!"_

"Geez, my leg hurts." Lavi groaned as he watched Rufus and Eve's battle with Allen. "All that stupid dodging..."

"That guy is the one who Gray-san lost to in 'Hidden', right?" Allen was gazing at the Sabertooth participant intently.

"_Memory-Make :_ _**Karma of the Burning Land!"**_

Everybody in the arena let out sympathetic groans as Eve let out a terrified scream, engulfed into blistering flames.

_"The match is over! Eve has put up a valiant effort against Rufus but to no avail! The victor: Sabertooth's Rufus! Strong as expected!"_

"Poor guy..." Allen and Lavi winced as Eve was put on a medical stretcher and was carried away.

Mato, the pumpkin, cheerfully spoke.

"Let's start the third match~pum! Fairy Tail B's Laxus Dreyar versus Raven Tail's Alexei~pum!"

"Oh, it's Laxus's turn!" Natsu exclaimed.

Lenalee eyed the Fairy Tail mage.

"He looks strong..."

"Probably stronger than Erza," murmured Allen. "Fairy Tail is such a guild..."

"Even so, they have two teams, so Natsu has go up against his own guild in the final battles." Lavi pointed out.

Mato cleared his throat and gazed up at Laxus and Alexei.

"Both parties... you may begin"—_gong_—"now!"

Laxus glared at Alexei with distaste.

"You're from my old man's guild... Who are y—" The stadium was full of gasps; Laxus was suddenly met with an unexpected harsh attack from Alexei, and was nearly knocked off the ground.

"WHAT THE—! LAXUS!" Natsu bellowed, as Laxus rushed towards Alexei but was pounded easily like a punching bag.

_"J-just what is going on?!"_ Chapati roared into the microphone. _"These are raging attacks from Alexei! Laxus can't even lift a finger!"_

"I can't look at this anymore!" Lenalee covered her face with her hands.

"That Laxus guy... He's totally defenceless." Lavi winced as down below, the Fairy Tail mage let out a cry of pain after getting an attack right in the gut.

Allen's head turned towards the Fairy Tail guild, most of them looking extremely worried and devasted.

_"Oi, Laxus! What the 'ell you doing!?"_

_"Why aren't you fighting back!?"_

_"Laxus, hurry up and fight for real, damn it!"_

"LAAAAAAAXUS!" Natsu's roar was clear over the mutters and cries of the onlookers.

Then, a miracle happened.

_"W-WHAT IN THE WORLD!?"_ Chapati cried when a large patch of purple energy emitted out of nowhere and the two players on the field disappeared. Alexei, his face unmasked to reveal a middle-aged man, went flying backwards by a lightning-enchanced punch.

"W-what the?! Didn't he just disappear?!" Allen rubbed his eyes multiple times, staring down at the field.

"Look, Allen!" Lavi pointed to several unconscious figures on the ground.

Allen recognized them.

"R-Raven Tail!? But weren't they standing over ther—" Allen stopped. The group of Raven Tail members he had just seen earlier across the stadium had vanished.

"An illusion," Kanda snapped, suddenly appearing at their side. "I saw them disappear," he added, seeing Allen and Lavi's bewildered looks.

The arena was in chaos.

_"I... I don't understand! What is going on!?"_ Chapati burst out.

Mato was beside himself.

"He's the guild master!" he squeaked, pointing at Alexei, "Alexei's real identity was Master Ivan~pum!"

_"The fight earlier was an illusion!? Amazing! The only one standing is Laxus! In a place where we could not see, he was under attack by five people... The Master also participated, no matter how you look at it, that's foul play!"_ Chapati exclaimed and many spectators roared in agreement.

"He has single-handedly crushed Raven Tail!"

"Even Erza and Cana earlier were fantastic!"

"Ain't Fairy Tail full of beasts?!"

"Wow, look at that." Lavi rearranged his eyepatch as the audience began chanting _"Fairy Tail! Fairy Tail!"_ out loud. "Looks like the crowd has a new favourite..."

"They deserve it." Allen grinned.

* * *

Chapati's voice rang around the arena once more.

_"Raven Tail has been disqualified,"_ he announced, and the audience cheered in response, "_their tournament rights will be evoked for the next three years. Well, we made quite a discouraging mood from this announcement, but let's proceed onto the fourth and final match of the day! Fairy Tail A's Wendy Marvell versus Lamia Scale's Chelia Blendy!"_

"Aw, it's Wendy's turn!" Lavi smiled as the little Dragon Slayer made her way out onto the field.

"Her opponent is a considerable choice." Allen noticed Chelia.

The players faced each other.

"Nice to meet you!"

"Yep! You too!"

_"Oh my, what a cute showdown this has become!"_ Chapati stared at his watch. _"You have thirty minutes!" _There was the usual gong noise._ "You may commence!"_

"Here I go!" Wendy yelled._ "Arms X Vernier! __**Sky Dragon's Wind Attack!"**_

"Whoa!" Lavi let out a cry as his headband nearly flew off from the sudden whirlwind.

_**"Sky God's Boreas!"**_

_"A-amazing!" _Chapati hollered as a black whirlwind was sent flying right back at Wendy, who managed to dodge it.

Chelia was impressed.

"Not bad! You're pretty good!" she said to Wendy. "But can you dodge this? _**Sky God's Dance!"**_

"Wendy!" Natsu and Carla cried as Wendy was sent flying up towards the air.

"It's not over yet!" Chelia charged mid-air to catch up with the falling Dragon Slayer.

_**"Sky Dragon's Claw!"**_

"Wha—?!" There was a harsh kick right on the Lamia Scale's back and both girls were sent down to the ground and both immediately sprung to their feet.

_**"Sky Dragon's Roar/Sky God's Bellow!"**_They cried in unison, and the two attacks collided, creating a shock wave that shook the entire stadium.

"That's freakin' crazy!" Lavi's eye-patch nearly flew off in the wave. He rearranged it, saying, "Just what is that Chelia girl? Doesn't she have the same moves as Wendy?"

"I honestly cannot tell." Allen was wobbling around, trying to regain his balance.

Down below, Wendy got up shakily.

"Ho—how can you? My move..." She stared at her opponent, lost for words.

Chelia laughed heartily.

"Well, that's because I'm a God Slayer!" she said, her voice echoed with pride.

"God Slayer...?"

"Mhm! So I may have gone a bit overboard. Are you alright?"

"No, it's okay... It's a fight after all... and I'll win, of course." Wendy panted. "For the sake of my guild."

Chelia just smiled sweetly.

"Okay, then! That works for me as well! I'll fight for the sake of my guild!"

There was a sudden black whirlwand picking up around Wendy.

"That—! She's trying to use that Sky God Dance thing again!" Lenalee gasped.

"But Wendy-san seems to be holding her ground..." Allen stared at the Lacrima featuring the Dragon Slayer.

_All the members of Fairy Tail are so strong-willed,_ he thought.

"C'mon, Wendy! Ya got this!" Lavi cheered her on.

Wendy arranged herself into a formation. _"Secret Dragon Technique!"_ she called out.

"All right, here it comes!" Lucy and Natsu waited excitedly.

Chelia looked tense as a massive energy of wind formed all around her and Wendy like a barrier, preventing her from escaping. "W-what is this!?"

The Fairy Tail player moved her hands clockwise.

_**"Shattering Light: Sky Drill!"**_

There was a high-pitched scream as the heavy wind barrier contracted with its opponent.

"Chelia!" Lyon screamed.

The stadium went silent as a battered Chelia laid sprawled on the ground.

Mato broke the silence.

"Chelia's down!" he declared, and all at once, the arena shook with tremendous applause and whistles.

_"AMAZING!"_ Chapati exclaimed. _"The victor is Fairy Tail A's Wendy Marvelllllll!"_

"I-I did it!" Wendy burst into tears, laughing happily, as the entire guild of Fairy Tail hurrahed. The little victor stepped cautiously toward the still-sprawled Chelia.

"Um... Chelia-san... Are you alright?" Wendy extended out a hand.

The God Slayer got up gingerly and smiled. "That was fun, Wendy!"

"I.. I enjoyed it a little bit, too."

"Hey! Let's be friends!"

"Ye—Yes! If—if I'm good enough..."

"No, no! Reply like a friend would!"

Wendy smiled widely.

"Okay. Let's be friends, Chelia!"

The two girls beamed at each other.

Chapati and a bunch of onlookers dabbed their eyes at this touching scene.

_"What a moving ending! For this old man, the Games are over... Thank you everyone, and have a great day!"_ Chapati announced. _"Please don't forget to check the final rankings!"_

**Third Day Results**

**1st**** Raven Tail** 35**P** ** DISQUALIFIED**

**2nd**** Sabertooth** 34**P**

**3rd**** Apostles** 33**P**

**4th**** Fairy Tail B** 30**P**

**5th**** Fairy Tail A** 27**P**

**6th**** Lamia Scale** 24**P**

**7th**** Mermaid Heel** 21**P**

**8th**** Blue Pegasus** 18**P**

"Amazing! The Fairy Tail teams have suddenly went up the ranks!" said Lenalee as many passersby left the arena.

Allen let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness..."

Lavi was grinning mischievously.

"Yuu! Look at this! I got us an extra ten points! We have thirty-three points now!" he cried to Kanda, who just scowled.

"It's scary to think that there's a one-point difference between us and Sabertooth..." Lenalee shuddered. "Anyway, where's Bak-san?"

Allen was about to leave with the rest of the exorcists when someone from behind shouted his name.

"Hey Allen!"

He spun around and smiled to find Natsu sprinting towards him.

"Natsu-san! Congratulations! You're in fifth place."

Panting, Natsu gave a chuckle.

"Seriously, why do ya stand all over on this side of the stadium?" he asked. "Why don't you go to the stands on my side? We could've watched the Games together!"

"Oh." Allen blinked, apparently at a loss for what to say.

"Anyway." Natsu straightened up. "You're going tomorrow, right?"

"Yes," the exorcist replied, feeling a slight, nervous squirm.

Natsu gave him a toothy grin.

"I'll be cheering for ya, then!" he exclaimed, then took off in the other direction.

Allen smiled.

"Thank you," he said, even though the fire mage was long gone.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't be here if I didn't own FT/DGM! And you guys wouldn't be killing me, haha!

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

* * *

Not for the first time, Allen woke up with a searing pain in his head.

"It hurts..." he muttered, rubbing his temples to ease the pain but it didn't seem to do anything. He sighed.

"Maybe it's this..." Allen picked up a stiff-looking couch pillow that he had been using recently; Lavi's regular pillow somehow disappeared (Allen suspected Kanda had something to do with it) and the redhead decided to take his for the time being. Therefore, Allen was left to use this hard-as-a-rock pillow, a choice he considered unfortunate.

He glanced at the sky outside the window, a light orangey-pink that suggested sunrise had arrived. A loud grumble came from his stomach, and remembering that the breakfast bar opened at five, Allen got up from his spot on the floor and reached for his exorcist coat, being careful to not arouse the others. He decided that if he couldn't sleep with his head thumping frequently, he might as well get started with his day.

Having finished buttoning his coat, he crossed the room towards the door. Pausing, with his hand on the wooden doorknob, Allen turned around. Lavi was completely hidden underneath his blanket, his red hair still visible through the fabric. Lenalee, her head resting on one arm, looked perfectly undisturbed. Bak was asleep like a starfish, his beret on the floor, a waterfall of drool sliding down from his mouth.

Allen gave a small smile.

"What wouldn't I give, to be able to sleep peacefully like all of you?" he murmured quietly.

* * *

_Tap._

_Tap._

_Tap._

Gray turned over on his side, trying to sleep.

_Tap._

_Tap._

_Tap._

He turned over on his other side.

_Tap tap tap tap tap tap—_

"Just _what_ are you doing!" he hissed, waking up with an angry start to find the fire mage standing in front of the clock, already dressed for the day.

Natsu was tapping his foot impatiently.

"Waiting for the Games to start," he said, making another annoying tap sound.

"It won't start until five hours later!"

Natsu opened his mouth dumbly. Then he closed it.

"Ah."

"Don't "ah" me!" Gray was most displeased. He rubbed his temples, sighing.

"Sheeesh, I got it, just go back to sleep then, you ice princess." Natsu went to leave the room.

"Where're you going this early in the morning?" Gray asked, looking skeptical.

"To get Happy. We're gon go train, of course!"

* * *

He couldn't believe it.

A colourful potion shop. A transformation-for-clothes shop. A magic book shop. A magic _pen_ book shop.

He strode along the early morning streets of Crocus, his red eyes scanning the many buildings he'd just passed.

_The hell is up with this town? A freaking pen shop? Are you kidding me?_ he grunted again as he passed a magic pencil store.

It was quiet. Too quiet, for his liking. Aside from the ridiculous stores, the streets were deserted, not one person could be seen in sight, and he could not see one inch of a bar.

"No bar? Crazy town..." he muttered to himself.

He passed a cheerful building called the Honeybone Inn and stopped short when he saw a pink-haired figure trotting out, a blue creature flying at his side.

"Let's go train, Happy, the Games are gon start soon—"

"Aye!"

"Hey, you."

The pink-haired person turned around. The man could see that it was clearly a boy in his teens.

"Who're you?" the boy asked warily, eyeing him up and down, while the blue creature—a cat, he noticed—took cover behind him.

"I'm glad to see this isn't some ghost town after all," the man grunted, ignoring the question. "Know where I could find a bar?"

There was a hesitation.

"There's the Sun Bar just down the road on the other side."

"Any hot babes?"

The boy eyed him skeptically.

"Yeah...loads," he said.

Without even thanking him, the man walked on, proceeding to the other side of the town.

* * *

It was oddly eerie and cold in the lobby of the Caramel Inn. Although the sun was rising outside, it did not light up the place at all, leaving it almost filled with darkness. Allen shivered and buttoned his coat all the way up. He checked the clock that was hung on the wooden wall. It was already five.

"She's late," he murmured, looking for the scary lady who usually operated the bar. "Maybe I'll wait for a bit…" he sat down in an armchair.

It occurred to him now, how horror-like this scene was. Just anyone could walk in through the doors to find him sitting in the dark... He sighed. On the bright side, at least his headache was going away.

"You really do look like an old man with your face like that, Allen," a voice spoke out of nowhere, and he jumped.

He sighed again, this time in relief, seeing the outline of Lavi who was grinning.

"Lavi, may I ask how you always manage to sneak up on me? Are you a stalker or what?"

"What can I say? It's in my nature. I've been scaring people my whole life like this," Lavi replied, sitting in the other armchair. He shivered, rubbing his arms. "Crazy cold! Where's the lady? And why're the lights off?"

"I don't know. I'm going to check to see if there's a light switch."

"Don't go too far," said Lavi.

"Scared of the dark, are you?" said Allen, moving around.

"No, it's just"— there was a sudden movement and Allen fell—"you might trip," Lavi finished lamely.

"Why are these floor tiles so rocky?" Allen groaned, feeling his foot. He suddenly frowned.

"Hey, come see this."

"Where're you at?"

"At the bar."

"That far?" Allen could hear the redhead struggling to make his way over.

Lavi's eye widen when he drew nearer.

Visible even in the dark, the bar of the Caramel Inn was completely in ruins, bits of materials such as the cabinet door, the fake fruits, and the cookie tray lying around in every direction. Everything was torn down and the smell of dust lingered in the air.

"Who did this?" Lavi picked up a ripped menu.

"Where's the lady?" Allen asked sharply, scanning the splattered floor.

"There's no blood here..." The taller exorcist glanced up at the ceiling. "Upstairs, maybe?"

They exchanged looks.

"Should we go check?" Allen felt uneasy.

"Yeah. What if she decides to kill Kanda or something?" Lavi joked, although he also seemed uncomfortable.

They made their way up the wooden staircase, which started to creak.

* * *

Allen did not like to admit it very much, but he was glad Lavi was beside him as they entered the dark and shadowy hallways. They tried to be quiet as possible to not disturb the other residents.

"How long is this hallway?" Lavi muttered, Allen trotting behind him. "And it's only the first floor..."

"Want me to lead?" Allen offered, being the one who could see extremely well in the dark.

"Y—_crap!_" There was a rustle and the red-haired exorcist suddenly slipped, knocking over a bookcase that was placed at the side of the hallway.

_"Lavi!"_ Allen cried, as the bookcase tipped over and fell with a thundering crash, glass particles flying everywhere.

"I'm all right," said Lavi, getting up. Allen could see his hand bleeding.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Just slipped on this carpet... be careful of the glass."

They looked at the wrecked hallway, with the damaged bookcase and broken glass.

Allen frowned. Something was off. He stared at the closest room to him.

"That's strange," he whispered to Lavi, who was eyeing the floor. "We made such a ruckus. How come no one is coming out to tell us off?"

Getting the idea, Lavi knocked on the room.

There was no answer.

"See if it opens," Allen suggested.

It did. The exorcists peered inside.

"The heck?" Lavi blinked, seeing the unused and dark room. "There's no one in here."

"It hasn't been in use for awhile, it seems." Allen stared at the spiderwebs forming in the corner and the dusty furniture that had an unwelcoming look.

Moving back into the hallway, they looked at each other.

"Let's check the other rooms."

Allen's suspicion was confirmed when they entered the second room, which was just as empty as the first, and then the third.

"Lavi," he began quietly as the redhead closed the door, "I think we're the only ones here."

"No. _She's_ also here."

"So where is she?" Allen glared around, as he and Lavi proceeded on to the second level.

* * *

"Kanda."

Kanda woke up with an abrupt start to find Marie already dressed.

"What is it, Marie?"

"We have to get out of here." Marie was already moving towards the room where Bak and Lenalee slept.

"What's going on?" Kanda demanded, throwing on his coat and reaching for his Mugen.

"Something's beeping."

* * *

"Should we check if someone really is here?" Allen asked Lavi as they cleared the second level and went on to the third.

"We'll be wasting a lot of time... Plus, they'd come out if they heard us, right?" They were now walking with quite a bit of noise.

"That is true." Allen watched as Lavi went up to the fourth level. "That's our floor, right? I think we can skip right to the fifth floor."

Lavi turned around to face him. "Think so? Or—_hey, behind you!"_

"Wha—!" He whirled around, and at once, his cursed eye activated. Horrified, Allen stared as something stood before him.

He could depict the thing in front of him as a ballerina, but it wasn't the classic type of ballerina that he had read in stories. For one thing, it was enormous, and the eyes, dripping with black liquid, were mismatched, as if a doll maker had decided to glue them on at the last minute. The hands seemed to be made out of steel, and it was smiling with its mouth so wide Allen could not understand how the mouth could fit its face. But the one thing that frightened him the most was the soul of the Akuma, a skeleton that gazed back eerily at him.

"Die," it said, its voice echoing. It smiled even wider. He saw that it was toothless, the inside of its mouth flowing with the same black fluids.

"Lavi, it's a Level Two! Go and warn Bak-san and the others!" Allen commanded, activating his Innocence, allowing his left arm to turn into its monstrous claw. He heard Lavi sprint upstairs. Seizing his chance, he yelled, _**"Cross Grave!"**_

His fast attack directly pierced through the Akuma, who let out a cry, feeling the sharp pain of the stream of energy.

"You—!" the Akuma snarled at Allen, who didn't say anything. It's misshaped eyes made him sick, and he tried to avoid its gaze. "I thought you couldn't use your old Innocence anymore?"

"What? Cross Alpha? Of course I can use it," said Allen, bracing himself for its attack as they began to circle each other. "You thought I could only use Crown Clown?"

The Akuma hissed angrily, and Allen knew it was angry for being provoked at.

"It seems that you're sadly misinformed," Allen began cautiously. He could not see a weapon in its hands—where was it? "I can activate Crown Clown whenever I want. But if I'm dealing with weak opponents, I can just use my basic attacks."

"You damn—! _Don't look down on me!"_ There was an enormous streak of red light and Allen let out a yell when he realized that it was his own blood that was sprayed through the air.

He fell down with a crash, his silver-grey eyes locked on the ceiling; it was stained with his blood.

"Impressive, isn't it?" he heard the Akuma's voice from a long distance. "You've got quite a lot of blood, boy." It grinned murderously. "Enough to stain a roof."

He got up, his normal hand covering his wound, which was unexpectedly small. "What did you attack me with?" His cog-wheeled eye focused on the Akuma's hands. He could see it. Two pair of sharp scissors already dripping with his red liquid.

The Akuma swirled around, unmistakably doing a ballerina dance. "Come." It smiled.

Allen straightened up. Deciding that Alpha wasn't enough, he activated his Cross β._**"Cross Spear!"**_

"That's not enough!" the Akuma cackled madly, stopping Allen's Innocence-canon that came to contact with its hands.

Allen stared at the hands, which were no longer scissors, but swords. "How—?"

They broke away fiercely; Allen nearly staggered, using his claw to steady himself.

"My ability is to able to turn _these_"—the ballerina held up its hands—"into any type of weapon I want. It's futile to beat me with those attacks. Give it up, exorcist! The Earl gave me—"

There was a slash, and the Akuma stopped talking.

"Sorry"— Allen released his claw away from the Akuma, already hitting it's vital point—"but you took so long that I lost interest. Looks like I only needed Cross β to defeat you."

"Y-you—!" The Akuma's words were drowned as it vanished.

"Well." Allen disabled his Innocence. "Looks like my job is done. Ow, this hurts." He gently touched his small wound. "I wonder what's taking Lavi so long?"

He turned around to find Lavi sprinting down the stairs madly.

"ALLEN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET OUT OF THERE!" he screeched, seeing him still rooted in place. "THAT AKUMA LEFT A BOMB!"

_"Wha—?!"_ Allen spun around, and then he gasped as he saw a timer placed exactly where the Akuma vanished.

_How did I not notice that?!_

Lavi was shouting something, but the white-haired boy couldn't hear.

For everything exploded.

* * *

Natsu Dragneel stretched and then popped his knuckles.

"Alright, Happy! I think we should stop here." The fire mage took a look at the sky; it was now sky-blue. He could hear the chatters of the townspeople getting ready for the day.

"We sure trained a lot, didn't we, Natsu?" Happy tried to flex his arms, looking for those biceps.

"Yep! Hopefully I'm going today!" Natsu exclaimed. He and Happy left the hill and made their way into Crocus, entering the town square.

"Natsu..." Happy tugged on his waistcoat. "Look. Something's burning."

"Where? Where?" The Dragon Slayer peered in the direction Happy was pointing to. Smoke was coming from a long distance from where they stood.

Several townspeople came outside of their homes and shops, muttering.

"It was an explosion— I just heard it several moments ago—"

"It's the Caramel Inn, isn't it?"

"An inn exploded?" Natsu blinked, as more people gathered in the square, all of them looking in the same direction.

"Oi, Natsu!" The fire mage spun around to find Gray running towards him.

"Gray, what's going on? An inn just exploded."

"Yeah," said Gray, panting. He straightened up.

"It's the Apostles' inn."

_"What?"_

* * *

Allen could not see. He tried to open his eyes, but it didn't make any difference. A worry came to him. Did he lose his eyes?

_Did I... die?_ he thought to himself, and felt sorrow weep through him. _I didn't want to die..._

He wondered where he was. His head felt oddly comfortable, like he was laying down on some fluffy cushion. He tried to move his arms, and stopped when his fingers glided over a smooth, soft surface.

_Huh? That feels really nice..._

He strained to use his ears, and a few seconds later, voices spoke.

"...hope if Allen-kun is going to be okay?"

"Don't fret, Lena. My hammer didn't smash his head that hard."

Allen's heart leapt at the sound of Lenalee's and Lavi's voice.

"Lavi? Lenalee?" he called out weakly.

He felt someone draw closer towards him. Something was removed and Allen suddenly regained the ability to see.

"Hiya, buddy. How you feeling?"

He squinted to see Lavi grinning over him, holding a cloth.

Allen sat up, only to find himself on a bed. His head was pounding slightly again.

"Allen-kun, you should probably lay down a bit." Lenalee hurried over, trying to push him back down but he didn't obliged.

"Where are we?" the cursed boy asked, still adjusting to his surroundings.

"In one of the arena's infirmary rooms," said Lavi. "Our inn was bombed."

"Did everyone get out okay?" said Allen.

"Everyone but _you_," Kanda interrupted out of nowhere. He was standing cross-armed behind Lenalee, looking sour. "How did you not know that Akuma had a timer?" he snapped at Allen.

"Cut it," said Lenalee, as Allen was about to argue back. "It's done and over with."

"It is not!" Kanda snapped, this time at Lenalee. "Someone tried to kill all of us!"

"Yes, but at least we're all alive!" said Lenalee angrily.

Kanda scowled at her words. Allen bit his lip. As much as he appreciated Lenalee's optimism, Kanda was right—there was someone on their trail.

"More importantly," Lavi tried to ease the uncomfortable tension, "do you all think that the lady was the one who set off the bomb?"

"Who else could it be?" said Kanda, looking disgruntled.

"Is Walker awake yet?" Bak's voice carried into the room as he and Marie appeared, carrying drinks.

"Bak-san." Allen noticed a long burn on the Chinese Director's forearm. A shot of guilt passed through him.

Realizing that Allen was looking at his injury, Bak waved around an airy hand.

"It's quite alright, Walker. Here, drink up. I got it from the kitchens." Bak passed around a cup to all the exorcists.

Lavi stared down distastefully at his drink.

"Better not be some Innocilim stuff," he muttered darkly.

Allen peeked inside his, taking notice of the brown liquid.

"Um, Bak-san, what is this, exactly?"

"I heard it's a drink that warms you up. Hot chocolate or something." Bak shrugged.

Allen, being a huge fan of sweets, eagerly dug into his drink.

"Enjoying it, aren't ya, Allen?"

He suddenly spat everything out.

"SP—SPICYYYYY!"

* * *

"Outta my way!"

Natsu managed to get to the front of a massive crowd that had gathered outside the wrecked inn. He pushed people aside, desperate for a clear view. His eyes widen.

"Natsu!" he heard Gray call behind him. "Did you find—?" Gray stopped short.

Black liquid was oozing from the destroyed property, as if someone had poured a bucket of it right on top of the ruins.

"Mommy! Look at this!" A little girl called excitedly. She was jumping up and down in a puddle of the black substance.

The mother, mortified, yanked her away instantly.

"What is that stuff?" said Gray, watching the mother telling off her daughter. He looked around. "O-oi, Natsu!"

Gray watched in horror as Natsu stepped forward, and touched the liquid with his fingers.

"Hmm..." said the Dragon Slayer. "Hey, Gray, should I taste it?"

_"Like hell you should!"_ Gray yelled. "Do you know how dangerous that could be?! Get away from it!"

Several people in the crowd agreed.

"That's right... We should get away from here... Let the Magic Council deal with this..."

"It's probably the Apostles' remains..."

"No way," Natsu said sharply at the last speaker, a man who was startled at his outburst. "There's no way this stuff is the Apostles."

"H-how do you know that?"

"Because I can smell them. They're still alive."

* * *

Unknown to many, Domus Flau wasn't just an arena; it was also an inn of its own. With over a hundred rooms, it had an infirmary, a dining hall, and even a basement.

The moment Allen and Lavi entered their new enormous room in the stadium, their jaws automatically dropped.

_"No way!"_

"_T—two king-sized beds?!"_

_"That's a huuuuge bookcase!"_

_"IS THAT A KITCHEN AND A REFRIGERATOR I SEEEEEEE?!"_

"Allen-kun and Lavi are rowdy as usual...I'm surprised Allen-kun can move around like that." Lenalee shook her head, watching Lavi checking out the books and Allen instantly diving off towards the kitchen.

"Stop acting like a bunch of kids!" Kanda growled, sitting down on an expensive-looking sofa though he didn't sound as fierce as he usually did.

"C'mon, Yuu, admit it. You're just happy to finally have your own room." Lavi grinned. "Like Marie-san... and Lenalee... and— JUST A SECOND!" he suddenly pointed an accusing finger at Bak, _"why do I have to share a room with Allen?!"_

"I would like my own room as well," Allen said politely, raising his hand.

"Hey, now!" Bak sighed in exasperation. "Do you know how hard it was for me to get these rooms for you? These were originally meant to be used by top-notch Council officials. Plus, this room is bigger than all of ours combined."

"Huh, Bak-san is much more important and useful than I thought..."

"Are you kidding me? That's 'cause no one knows him here. Once we go back to Headquarters, he'll be thrown aside again."

_"I can hear you, Walker, Lavi..."_

"But I guess we have no choice." Lavi sighed in amusement. He looked at Allen. "Looks like we'll be sticking together."

"Just don't snore, please."

_"Mean!"_

"In any case," Bak turned all the exorcists' attention towards him, "we should consider ourselves lucky having able to dodge that bomb."

He paused.

"However, that doesn't mean we can stop being cautious. We could get attacked again, so remember to be alert and report anything odd to me."

Everyone nodded at his words.

"But what about that lady?" said Allen quietly. "Why did she disappear? That proves that she must've known about the bomb."

The atmosphere in the room turned serious.

"We don't know for sure if she really attacked us, but it's safe to say that she's not an Akuma, considering your eye didn't react the first time you saw her, Walker." Bak looked at Allen.

"She could be a Noah," Lavi interjected.

Allen suddenly tensed up.

"Or she could've been killed by the Akuma," said Lenalee reasonably.

"Then we would've seen her dead body somewhere," snapped Kanda.

"And the Akuma would've said something about it killing her," added Allen.

Bak sighed. Allen watched him, feeling guilty. It was not easy being in charge of a mission when everything seemed to go wrong.

"The important thing is that we're alive and staying in a much safer environment. There's an infirmary and a dining hall filled with people down below," he said.

"True... and on the plus side, we have nicer rooms here!" said Lenalee.

"Yeah, talk about that bed." Lavi was gazing at it with pure happiness.

"But"—there was a gleam in the Director's eyes—"that's not the only reason why I specially asked for us to stay here."

Allen cottoned on.

"Wait a second... the reason why you chose this place is to..." he trailed off slowly.

Bak nodded.

"Now, we're even closer to where the Innocence is. Let's use this chance to grab it," he said quietly.

* * *

"Who knew Bak could be that bold?" Lavi was smirking. "Getting V.I.P rooms in the place where the Games are held... now we'll have a much easier time getting to the stands, eh?"

"We really don't give Bak-san enough credit," Allen agreed. "I really feel so much better knowing that there's other people staying in this place."

It was now thirty minutes before the start of the Games, and Allen and Lavi were settling into their new room while the rest of the exorcists went back to their respective quarters.

"Man, this bed is the best." Lavi let out a blessed sigh as he bounced himself onto his mattress and hid under the blankets. "I'm kind of happy our inn was destroyed," he said in a muffled voice.

"Don't say that, Lavi, we could've died," said Allen, although he was grinning.

He peeked earnestly into the refrigerator.

"Amazing... Is this all for free?" he took out a mouth-watering tart and showed it to Lavi.

"Huh... Come to think of it, there's no room service." Lavi frowned. "You'd better be careful eating that stuff or else it's probably stale."

"Doesn't taste like it." Allen already ate a quarter of the tart.

"Anyway, the Games are starting really soon. You ready?"

The white-haired boy swallowed.

"I guess...?" he said.

"What's with that reply? So depressing..."

"No, I think I swallowed something..."

"Yeah, expired tart, maybe?"

* * *

**Fourth Day : July 4, X791**

* * *

_"Welcome back, everyone, to the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games!"_ Cheers shook the entire stadium as Chapati Lola spoke. _"Today's guest is Scheherazade Theatre's chairman, Rabian!"_

"Is it me, or did more people come today?" Lavi's eye drifted towards a crowd that stood just outside the seats. "All the spots are taken..."

Allen made an odd noise in response. He looked across his stand and saw Fairy Tail A. No matter how long he stared, Natsu ignored him.

"What's up?" asked Lavi, as Chapati spoke.

_"Kindly please wait while we get the field set up!"_

"Oh... nothing," said Allen, seeing Natsu roaring ecstatically at the ground below.

He couldn't understand why he felt shunned aside. Natsu had seen him enter the stands from the other end, yet the fire mage didn't greet him as he usually did. But it wasn't just Natsu. There was Lucy and Wendy who both usually waved to him, or even Erza who often gave a polite nod. Today, neither of the Fairy Tail members barely even gave a peek.

"Hey, Allen-kun?" Lenalee distracted him by poking him in the side. "There's someone watching you..."

"Huh?" Allen looked around and immediately gulped.

Sabertooth's Sting was glaring at him. There was something in his eyes that Allen couldn't figure out. Loathing?

"Did you two get into an argument?" Lenalee asked.

"We never even _talked_..."

"Hey, Apostles!" said a voice across the stands.

The exorcists turned around to find Lyon Vastia grinning at them.

"I thought you guys all died from that bombing!"

"As if!" Kanda unexpectedly burst out, looking bad-tempered.

Lyon was slightly taken aback, but he recovered quickly.

"Good. Just so you know, Lamia Scale won't let you stay in second place for long." He grinned at them again, then went back to talking to Jura.

"Looks like we have a rival." Lenalee giggled.

Allen smiled. "People are really nice here."

_"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your patience! The field is now set up!"_

There was a burst of blinding blue light that expanded across the entire area. The wind was so fierce that Allen could feel his eyelids stretched out and he closed his eyes.

"W-what's happening?!" he shouted at Lavi, who shouted something inaudible in return.

"What's that huge thing!?" Allen heard Ren of Pegasus cry out.

Straining to open his eyes, Allen briefly saw, through the light, a blue dome-like structure slowly being formed, like someone filling a glass of water. It looked oddly wavy, as if made of liquid.

There was another blinding flash that made him instantly squeeze his eyes shut.

Several people gasped.

"Dude, you can open your eyes now," Lavi told him, and Allen's jaw dropped.

A beautiful sphere, fully completed, floated in the sky, giving off a glistening water-like colour.

"Amazing!" Allen whispered excitedly to Lavi. "That thing seems like it's made out of water or something!"

"That's because it is, Allen."

_"Here it is! Our stage for today's competition: Naval Battle!"_ the emcee cried, and everyone clapped enthusiastically, Allen amongst them.

"Kanda, you're missing out!" Allen called to the samurai exorcist, who was, as usual, hidden in the shadows of the hallways with Marie. "You too, Marie-san!"

Kanda made an impatient noise. "Does it look like I care?" But he came out anyway.

_"Here are the rules of the Naval Battle, everyone! Each player from every team must enter the sphere! However, if you leave or get knocked outside, you automatically lose! The last person standing is declared the winner, unless there are two players left! In that case, a five-minute time limit will be given so both players can compete for victory! In addition, the loser will be given the least amount of points!"_ Chapati all said this very feverishly.

_"So then, if everyone could please select their representative!"_

"Hey, hey." Lavi blinked as Mermaid Heel's Risley volunteered, then Lamia Scale's Chelia, and then Blue Pegasus' Jenny. "All the girls are going..."

_"From Fairy Tail A, Lucy Heartfilia! Fairy Tail B, Juvia Lockser! Ohh, looks like this will be a battle between girls!" _Chapati exclaimed, and every male in the audience swooned.

Without hesitation, Lavi and Allen instantly glanced at their only female teammate.

"Hey, Lenalee. How ya doing~?"

"Feel like going today~?" said Allen.

"You two are scaring me..."

"Why don't you go?" Kanda unexpectedly chipped in. "They're all girls."

Lenalee sighed.

"We~ell, since I do have no choice~"

"She totally wanted to go," Lavi whispered to his white-haired companion as they watched Lenalee skip towards the field.

_"From Apostles, we have the lovely Miss Lenalee Lee!" _Chapati cried._ "Due to the unfortunate news of their inn bombing, everyone thought that the Apostles would be out of the running, but thank goodness, they seem to be in good hands!"_

Team Apostles stood frozen at the loud cheers that echoed all around them.

"W-who knew we had this much fans?" Lavi grinned nervously.

"Idiot. Don't get too attached," said Kanda.

"YES! LENALEE-CHAN!" Bak was sobbing on the team flag from his seat, causing Lenalee to turn a light shade of red from embarrassment.

A slim figure stepped forward to roaring, ear-spiltting cheers that dominated the applause for the other players.

_"T-there she is, ladies and gentlemen! Sabertooth's top five, Minerva!" _Chapati had to scream over the intercom to make himself heard.

"That woman!" Lavi let out a gasp, startling Allen and Kanda.

"What is it? You know her?" Kanda narrowed his eyes in dislike at the Sabertooth woman.

"No, but I heard she's not fond of Fairy Tail."

"Then what does it have to do with us?" snapped Kanda.

"True, she certainly does look intimidating." Allen glanced at Minerva.

_"All right, everyone, all the players have gathered! In the meantime, players, please take a moment to change into your swimsuits! When you are ready, we will lower the sphere for you to enter!"_

Allen and Lavi blinked.

"Huh?"

* * *

Lenalee stood awkwardly as she watched all of the players change inside the magical tent.

_S-swimsuits..._ she thought to herself, watching Lucy and Jenny having a friendly argument over whose bikini was sexier.

In all her life, never once did she ever wear a swimsuit. Not sexy ones like Lucy's or Jenny's or even cute ones with a skirt like Juvia's.

"Hey, aren't you going to be hot wearing that?" Lucy called to her, taking notice of Lenalee's thick, tight exorcist coat and her high stockings.

"No, I'll be fine." The Chinese girl smiled warmly, appreciating Lucy's concern.

"Oh, these are so pretty!" Lucy came over and goggled at the blood-red rings hung around Lenalee's ankles. "They look heavy though."

"They're not so bad," said Lenalee truthfully.

She smiled as Lucy continued to admire them, but suddenly stopped and looked to her side.

Minerva was glaring at the stellar spirit mage, a sly smile circling her lips.

The exorcist slightly furrowed her brow at this.

_I have a bad feeling about her..._

"Everyone! They called! It's time to go!" Chelia of Lamia Scale announced, and everyone got up towards the exit.

"I was really scared about that bomb," Lucy said to Lenalee as they exited the tent to wild cheers. "But looks like I was worried for nothing! You seem to be unhurt!" She gave a bright grin.

"Thanks!" _Allen-kun was right. The people here are really kind... _Lenalee beamed.

_"If everyone could please enter the sphere!"_ Chapati announced, as the blue dome-like structure slowly descended onto the field. Lenalee watched as Mermaid Heel's Risley entered, her heart beating unusually fast.

Her fear was the water; how would they be able to breathe?

Lucy seemed to notice her anxiety.

"Don't worry! They won't kill us by making us fight in this condition," she said confidently. A guard nodded at Lucy.

"See you inside!" she called to the exorcist, entering the water-dome.

Lenalee took a deep breath as the guard nodded at her, confirming that it was now her turn to enter.

* * *

Team Apostles watched as their player set foot into the water.

"Cool, Lena looks even more 3D," said Lavi, examining Lenalee's bobbly head due to the refraction of the light hitting on the sphere. "Can she breathe, though?"

"Looks like it. She doesn't seem to be choking or drowning," said Allen.

"LUUUUCY!" Natsu roared, "do your best!"

"You can use Aquarius in the water!" Gray added.

_"Alright, everyone!" _said Chapati once the dome reached sky level._ "The rules once again are simple! If you leave the water, you lose! Naval Battle, commence!"_ There was a gigantic gong noise.

Lucy instantly whipped out a golden key.

"I know this is right off the bat, but sorry everyone! _Open:__** Gate of the Water Bearer: Aquarius!"**_

"GO TO HELLLL!" Aquarius cried, spawning out of nowhere and was about to throw her urn over her head when—

"—I won't let you! _**Water Cyclone!"**_

_What crazy power—!_ Lenalee felt a tremendous wave of water burst right through her as Juvia's whirlpool hit her on impact.

_Oh no!_ she thought to herself in alarm as she neared the edge, _I'm going to fall out!_

_"Ohhh! Apostles' Lenalee is about to fall! Will she be the first to lose?!"_ Chapati cried, and many people gasped.

"Lenalee!" Lucy cried.

There was a spark of green light—and Lenalee zoomed right towards the centre, her Dark Boots saving herself from falling out.

_"W-would you look at that?! Miss Lenalee can now move smoothly in the water!"_ The audience let out impressed mutters.

"Amaaazing!" said Chelia in a hushed voice, viewing the exorcist's high stiletto boots that was unfurling with massive energy with fascination.

Lucy let out a relieved sigh.

"Looks like I have a tough opponent to beat!" she exclaimed, as Aquarius stared at Lenalee in detest.

"Lenalee looks like she's enjoying herself," Lavi commented, seeing his friend launching an attack at Mermaid Heel and Blue Pegasus. "Seems like she can propel herself easily underwater with her Dark Boots."

"Lucy-san seems to be doing good as well," said Allen, as Aquarius vanished and the Fairy Tail mage was forced to bring out Virgo and Aries.

"Take this!" The Chinese exorcist took a fierce kick with her Dark Boots; the force of this simple movement was strong enough to send Blue Pegasus' Jenny whizzing right out of the sphere.

_"G-goodness! What a scary kick! Our first loser is Miss Jenny!"_ Chapati cowered a little as Jenny spat out a mouthful of water, looking sour.

Juvia seemed to have reached a big decision.

"I'll throw you all out at once!" she declared fiercely to all her opponents. "There's no one who can win against Juvia in the water! Go, _**Second Origin: GRAY-SAMA'S LOVE~~~!"**_

"WHAT KIND OF ATTACK IS THAT?!" A baffled Gray called from the stands.

Something hit Lenalee like a rocket, and she let out a gasp as she went flying out of the sphere and dismounted hard onto the ground. Shortly after, Chelia and Risley joined her.

_"IN-INCREDIBLE! Juvia has thrown out three opponents in one single go!"_ The stadium went crazy.

"Ouch, is she alright?" Lavi winced a little.

"Lenalee! Are you okay?!" Allen shouted to his teammate, and she gave a thumbs up in response.

"Looks like I couldn't use my magic after all... but your magic was awesome!" Chelia said excitedly to Lenalee, who beamed.

Lavi, who watching Juvia sending Gray swooning looks, frowned.

"Um, is it me, or is she getting"—there was a _pop! _and everyone in the crowds groaned_—_"too close to the edge?" Lavi finished lamely as the Fairy Tail B player laid sprawled on the ground.

Chapati nearly face-palmed._ "What a pity! After all that effort, and she's out! But even so, she's ranked third! That's six points!"_

Team Fairy Tail B were in disbelief.

"That idiot!" said Gajeel, looking disappointed.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Natsu pointed a finger at Gajeel and the others. "Now we're ahead of you! GOO, LUCYY, DEFEAT HER!" he roared up towards the sphere.

"Oi, how many points do we have?" Kanda asked Allen and Lavi.

"Well, Lenalee knocked out Blue Pegasus, and we only have seven remaining guilds now that Raven Tail got disqualified..."

"So we have two points."

Kanda merely sighed and went back to the shadows.

"That Kanda. He's totally fond of Lenalee..."

"Yeah, if it were us, he'd show no mercy." Lavi grinned.

Sting of Sabertooth was smiling smugly.

"The Miss is quite the devil, isn't she?" he asked his teammates, viewing Minerva who was smirking at Lucy.

"Certainly," said Rufus in a calm voice.

"With her power, she could've easily taken them all out," Orga added.

The emcee clasped his hands together. _"Now, the only two left are Minerva and Lucy! Who will be the victor!? What do you think, Yajima-san!?"_ Chapati asked the elderly chef beside him.

"I don't know!" he said unhelpfully.

"IT BETTER BE LUCY!" Natsu cried, and Erza and the others nodded.

"I don't like that Minerva woman," said Lavi, "so I'll go with Lucy, too."

"Fairy Tail all the way," Allen said somewhat uncertainly.

_"Alright! The five-minute rule has now been applied!"_ Chapati announced._ "You may start!"_

Minerva, despite being under a short time limit, chose to speak.

"With my magical power, I could take you out with a flash," she said to Lucy, with almost a hiss. "However"—she smiled—that wouldn't be very _satisfying_...Let's see how long you'll last, Fairy Tail."

Lucy let out a cry as something extremely hot snapped her on one side of her body.

"What the—!" Lavi threw down his hands on the railing of the stands. "Heat?! In the water!?"

"Why are you so surprised?" Kanda was looking disgruntled.

The audience let out a sympathetic gasp as another heat attack slammed into the blonde-haired mage.

"LUCY!" Natsu cried, seeing his friend being thrown all over the place.

"What's with her magic?!" Allen focused on the Sabertooth player who was simply snapping her fingers, each snap causing a heat explosion at her opponent.

"H-hey, she doesn't look so good." Lavi was staring at Lucy, who was getting the life beaten out of her.

Lucy seemed to be fiddling frantically around her lower body.

"What!? My keys—!" She glanced up to see a smiling Minerva holding up her pouch. "When did you—!"

There was a giant burst of an explosion and Lucy went toppling backwards.

_"Lucy! At this rate, you're going to drop out of the water!"_ Chapati cried, him and Yajima exchanging worried looks.

"I know that!" cried the Fairy Tail player, making weird penguin movements to keep herself steady.

"Oh~? You can still move?"

Another explosion.

Another scream.

Lenalee, watching from the ground, held a trembling hand to her mouth. "Lucy-san..."

"A-a minute left..." muttered Lucy, moving her damaged body closer towards the centre.

Minerva narrowed her eyes.

"It's about time I send you flying outside—"

"—if I lose here—"

The Sabertooth mage raised an eyebrow.

"If...If I lose here,_ I won't be able to face anyone who tried so hard!"_

Domus Flau went silent.

"I won't betray everyone's emotions. That's why I'll never give up!" Lucy's determination was unwavering.

Minerva was about to launch an attack, but to everyone's surprise, she disabled it.

"What's she doing?" Sting frowned, watching the woman stare disgustingly at Lucy. "There's still thirty-one seconds left."

Chapati and many people were scratching their heads in confusion.

_"Wh...what is going on? Minerva has stopped her attack. At this rate, the clock will exceed the time limit."_

Natsu let out a relieved grin.

"Alrigh—" he stopped short as there was a sudden movement.

The Sabertooth player charged at Lucy, her face having lost some of its sanity and her hand summoning up an attack far larger than her previous ones.

Lucy had one brief glimpse of her opponent before she was hit with an attack that exploded like a grenade, shaking the entire field and even the sphere itself.

The stellar spirit mage let out a wounded scream, tears streaming endlessly from her eyes in pain, as Minerva chose to continue on with her attacks.

"What kind of heart do you think we have, Fairy Tail?!" The woman was screeching, her eyes scanning over the bloody and black parts of Lucy's flesh, enjoying the scene with every second.

"We are number one in the entire world!_ WE ARE SABERTOOTH!"_

Lucy's cry suddenly increased in volume, her voice beginning to crack from strain.

Everyone watched with terrified gasps as Lucy edged closer and closer towards the end of the sphere—then reappeared right in front of Minerva, who instantly kicked her harshly in the lower back.

_"W-WHAT THE?! SHE WAS FLYING OUT AT FULL SPEED! WHY IS SHE IN FRONT OF MINERVA?!"_ Chapati cried to alarming mutters.

"She's doing it to torture her!" Gajeel snarled, coming to a realization, watching Lucy getting hit mercilessly in the face.

"That damn—!" Even Kanda couldn't ignore what was happening.

"Stop! _STOP!_" Lenalee cried, her hands trembling.

"STOP ITTTTTTTTTTT!" Natsu yelled. He, Erza, and Gray looked across the stands to see Sting, Rufus and Orga smiling with pleasure at them. _"SABERTOOTH..!"_

Minerva was cackling madly to her heart's content, tossing the blonde around by her hair.

One of the guards stepped forward to talk urgently to Mato, the pumpkin.

_"Stop the match! She's going to destroy the celestial mage!"_

"THE REFREE SAYS STOP!" yelled the mascot.

Chapati hastily fiddled with the intercom as Minerva dangled a battered up Lucy outside of the sphere by the neck. _"THE MATCH HAS ENDED! Victor, Sabertooth's Minerva! Someone get the medics! Lucy hasn't been moving for awhile, is she alright?!"_

"Pfft!" Sting had to clench his stomach hard to keep from laughing.

_"LUCY!" _Both Natsu and Gray immediately jumped down into the field, Erza hot on their trail.

_"Where are you going!?"_ Both Lavi and Kanda had to restrain the white-haired exorcist, who was about to jump off and chase after the Fairy Tail members. "It's their problem so let them deal with it!"

Still laughing, the Sabertooth woman let go of Lucy's almost lifeless body. Natsu and Gray, both fuming with intense rage, managed to catch her just in time.

"Lucy, you alright?! Hang in there!" Gray settled his wounded friend into his arms as Wendy and the medics hurried over with a stretcher and carried her to the infirmary.

_"What are you doing, you bitch!"_ Natsu snarled, as Minerva smoothly glided out of the water.

Erza was shaking with silent fury, the look in her eyes unforgiving.

"What's with that look?" said Minerva to Erza. "I simply took advantage of the rules. You should be thanking me. I made her second place"—there was a twisted smile—"that useless piece of trash, that is."

_"You—!"_ Natsu made to launch an attack at Minerva but Erza stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Natsu-san," Sting said quietly, silently having arrived with Orga and Rufus to defend the Miss behind them.

_"G-Good lord! This is an tense situation between two guilds!"_ Chapati cried, and all the spectators let out worried murmurs.

Erza stepped forward.

"I don't care if you're the strongest or the top guild in Fiore, but let me tell you this."

There was no mercy in Erza's eyes.

_"You've made enemies of the worst possible guild to piss off."_

* * *

**Final Rankings**

**1.** **SABERTOOTH** 34 + 10 = **44P**

**2.** **FAIRY TAIL** 27 + 8 = **35P**

**3.** **APOSTLES** 33 + 2 = **35P**

**4.**** LAMIA SCALE **24 + 3 = **27P**

**5.**** MERMAID HEEL **21 + 4 = **25P**

**6.**** BLUE PEGASUS** 18 + 1 = **19P**

**FAIRY TAIL B **30**P ****X DISBANDED**

**FAIRY TAIL A **27**P ****X DISBANDED**

Team Apostles stood quietly in their stands as thousands of mutters erupted all around them, people still in full flow about what had just happened to Lucy.

"Guys," said Lavi, watching Allen's and Lenalee's downhearted faces, "Lucy's still alive. Don't look like that."

"Yeah..." they said dispiritedly.

"Tch," said Kanda, "Getting depressed over something like that when you're an exorcist."

He paused.

"People die everyday in our world, when we couldn't save them. So be happy that she's alive and wipe off that pathetic look on your face, moyashi. And you too," he added to Lenalee.

Lavi grinned. "Kanda's right. No need to get so upset."

"But it honestly pains me to see how cruel people can be," Allen muttered.

"Who said the world was full of good people?" Kanda almost snorted.

_"Everyone, thank you for waiting!"_ Chapati finally spoke through the intercom._ "Fairy Tail's new team is complete! We've now reached the fourth day's battle portion! The match-ups have been announced!"_

"W-what the?" Everyone gasped at the stone board that had just flashed.

_Blue Pegasus __**VS. **__Mermaid Heel __**VS. **__Lamia Scale_

_Apostles __**VS. **__Sabertooth __**VS. **__Fairy Tail_

_"What... is going on?"_ Even Chapati himself was in disbelief. _"A three-on-three?!"_

"Apologies~pum!" Mato the pumpkin abruptly appeared out of nowhere. "There has been a revision over the tag battles! These are now the officially updated match-ups! However, it is still a two-on-two battle~!" he announced happily.

The audience went bonkers at this news, most of them screaming out Fairy Tail's and Sabertooth's name.

_"Looks like all eyes are on the explosive battle between Apostles, Sabertooth, and Fairy Tail!"_

"Explosive?" Lavi chuckled nervously. "Who thought we'd be against Sabertooth _and_ Fairy Tail?"

"Are you serious..." Allen stared at the stone board.

"I guess we'll just have to lose on purpose then!" said Lenalee.

"Are you crazy?" snapped Kanda. "I don't want to walk around with annoying people insulting me."

"You have so much pride, Yuu..."

_"Oh!"_ There was a patter of footsteps coming from the entrance of the field. _"Here comes the new Fairy Tail team!"_

"Is it me, or do I have this feeling like this new team is ridiculously strong?" Lavi asked the exorcists as everyone in Domus Flau waited with baited breath.

Five people entered onto the field, and the applause that broke out was one of the loudest yet.

_"The arena is shaking!"_ Chapati's voice couldn't even be heard over the berserk cheers of the audience.

Allen's eyes laid on the five people: Laxus, Gajeel, Natsu, Erza, and Gray.

"L-look at that cheering," said Lenalee, wincing as the entire stadium let out ear-spilltng roars.

"Wow, five ridiculously strong people? I was right." Lavi looked strained.

_"Just listen to that huge applause! Seems like the first day's boos were a joke! In just four days, they've retaken their former popularity!"_

"They look so serious, though," said Allen. None of the Fairy Tail players were pumping their fists into the air or waving in response as they had did on the first day. All of them looked determined.

"They've completely dominated all of us in terms of spirit." Lavi grinned.

"You say that." Allen's eyes travelled over the Fairy Tail mages were who making their way to their usual spots in the stands.

_"O.K everyone, I'm sure this is the moment you've all been waiting for! The tag battles! However, the points are still the same!"_ the emcee cleared his throat. _"Please take a look!"_

The stone board flashed for the second time.

**Win ****\- **10**P**

**Lose **\- 0**P**

**Draw ****-** 5**P**

"A three-on-three battle..." Allen said slowly.

"Speaking of which, you're definitely going to be chosen," said Lavi. "You haven't gone for any of the previous competitions or battles."

"But it's also a two-on-two battle, isn't it? You won't be alone, Allen-kun!" said Lenalee, misinterpreting his look of nervousness for fright.

"That's true."

Chapati cleared his throat once again.

_"Let's begin with the first match of the day! May the following participants please step up!"_

_Blue Pegasus:__ Ichiya &amp; Rabbit _

_Mermaid Heel:__ Kagura &amp; Milianna _

_Lamia Scale:__ Lyon &amp; Yuka_

"That girl is the one who defeated Yukino-san..." Allen focused on the Mermaid Heel player who was coming out with Milianna.

"Without even unsheathing her sword," Lavi added. "This will be some interesting battle." He rearranged his eyepatch.

"Kanda, you're watching, too?" Lenalee asked, causing Kanda to merely narrow his eyes at the field.

"I'm also curious about that rabbit." Allen peered closely at the Blue Pegasus stuffed mascot. "I wonder who it is..."

* * *

_"Players, you have thirty minutes! You may"_—a gigantic gong noise resounded through the stadium—_"begin!"_

Natsu Dragneel's jaw dropped. "What is this?!" he pointed at the field below, watching the fight that was about to begin between the first three guilds. _"Why is it a three-on-three?!"_

"How surprising." Even Erza was baffled. "So it seems like they've modified the tag battle rules."

"Oho!" Down below, Ichiya was stroking his chin. He turned to his rabbit-partner. "It is time for me to finally release you! Go, show everyone that handsome face of yours!"

Everyone in the crowds let out an excited "ooh" sound.

_"T-the real identity of the rabbit! Just who could it be?!"_ Chapati was so excited he seemed to be sweating.

There was a swift movement and the bunny took off its head to reveal a rectangle-like face, a shining flat nose, and a mouth full of stubble; a perfect replication of Ichiya himself, with the addition of whiskers.

There was a stunned silence.

_"WHAT THE—!?_" Everyone in the entire arena was dumbfounded; most of them clearly expected a much more attractive face.

"That guy was from Extalia!" Natsu exclaimed.

"N-Nichiya!" cried Happy and Pantherlilly, as Nichiya flew out of the costume.

"Amazing! It's another cute flying cat!" Allen's eyes lit up.

_"Cute?! Are you for real, Allen?!" _Lavi shivered.

"Oho," Ichiya said again striking a pose with Nichiya to an obviously turned-off Lyon and Milianna, "you cannot beat our Double Ikemen Attack!"

"That so?" Lyon's signature grin appeared. _**"Ice Make: Eagle!"**_

_"Oh! Lamia Scale's Lyon makes the first move!" _cried Chapati.

"My perfume will—!" Ichiya was cut off when one of Lyon's eagles slammed right into him, taking Nichiya along for the ride.

"Ah—! Mr. Flying Cat!" Allen exclaimed, seeing the Extalia Exceed lose its balance on the eagle then falling to the ground unconcious.

_"Ichiya-san, that guy was totally useless!"_ cried Ren in disbelief, face-palming.

"Too easy!" said Milianna, using cat-like jumps to dodge the incoming ice eagles. "I'll take care of the other one, Kagura-chan!"

"Oh no, you won't! Yuka!"

_**"Wave Bullet!"**_

Allen gaped as Yuka unleashed two large orbs at Kagura, who hastily dodged out of the way before the orbs connected and exploded, sending bits of the field flying.

"Poor guy." Lavi winced as Kagura took the chance to leap towards Yuka and chopped off his braid, jolting him in the mid-area with her foot afterwards.

"She's not even using her magic," said Lenalee, feeling sorry for Yuka who fell to his knees, clenching his stomach.

"MEN!" Ichiya, miraculously having recovered from the flight on Lyon's eagle, suddenly jumped on the ice user's back, much to his alarm. "This is revenge for Niichiya! _**Power Perfume: Smiling Smash!"**_

Everyone's jaws dropped as an extremely muscular Ichiya sent Lyon soaring to the other side of the field where he hit the exterior of the audience wall, blood oozing from his head.

Chapati and many spectators let out sympathizing groans.

_"ANNNNND LYON'S OUT! Looks like's it's up to Yuka to save Lamia Scale's glory!"_

"Lyon! Just since when were you so weak?" Gray face-palmed as Natsu guffawed.

"Now's my chance!" Milianna seized the moment to lung herself straight at Ichiya._**"Scratch Attack!"**_

_"Oh!"_ Everyone groaned and looked away as the Blue Pegasus man let out mortifying screams, feeling his beautiful face all scarred up.

_"A-and poor Ichiya's down..."_ Chapati winced as the orange-haired mage fell to the ground, sobbing. _"Looks like it'll take awhile for his scars to heal..."_

"That wasn't a nice sight," Lenalee muttered, still hiding her eyes with her hands.

"Don't worry," Erza was saying to Gray and Natsu who both wore revolting looks, "he'll look more h-h-ha—"

_"You can't even say handsome!"_

There was now five minutes leftover.

_"Only two teams remaining left! Lamia Scale's Yuka must be in a pinch!"_

"Poor guy," mused Lavi, watching Yuka throwing an easy attack which Kagura avoided. "He's against the chopper and face-arranger."

"He'll be able to win a draw if he keeps up for a bit longer," said Allen matter-of-factly.

_**"Wave Rush—!"**_

"Give it up," said Kagura, easily deflecting his attack with her sword. "I thought you had potential but it seems that I've been mistaken. Pity that your partner over there is out cold."

Thankfully, the clock came to Yuka's rescue.

"TIME'S UP!" Mato yelled, and Kagura lowered her sword away from Yuka.

_"Both Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale receives five points! Excellent tag battle!"_ Whistles and roars shuddered around the field as the remaining players walked back to their stands, some medics hurrying forward to place Lyon and the Blue Pegasus party on stretchers.

Allen gave a thoughtful look as he saw Kagura Mikazuchi talking quietly to a overly cheerful Milianna.

"She didn't unsheathe her sword or even use magic. That's some tough confidence," he said to Lavi and Lenalee.

"She's probably one of those ridiculously strong people," replied Lavi, Lenalee nodding in agreement.

Cheers still erupting all over the place, Chapati tapped his intercom, waiting for everyone's attention.

Allen's stomach suddenly twisted. It was now time. He looked over his shoulder towards the other stands; Natsu and Gajeel had already descended.

"Hey, Allen..." Lavi gave a nod towards the hallway exit. A guard was waiting to escort him down.

Gulping, the white-haired teen took a few breaths. He started towards the guard, noticing one of his teammates following him.

* * *

The emcee gave a chuckle as the shaking in Domus Flau grew even larger.

_"It's a heated arena, everybody, but be sure not to miss out on any of this next match!"_

Three gigantic guild flags were raised high up into the air, to the huzzahs and roars of the thousands of hundreds gathered in the seats.

_"Just now, the emblems of the guilds have been lifted in the arena! AND HERE THEY ARE!" _Unbelievable screams hurled in every direction as two people stepped onto the field.

_"Representing the guild known as the strongest seven years ago: FAIRY TAIL'S NATSU AND GAJEELLLLL!"_ Both Dragon Slayer's strong-willed faces were captured on an enormous Lacrima for everyone to see.

_"For the guild that currently gains that title: SABERTOOTH'S STING AND ROGUEEEEEE!"_ Intense, equal cheering broke out as Sting and Rogue came forward.

"Natsu-san. I've been waiting for this." Sting wore a satisfied look.

"Gajeel," Rogue said quietly, the Iron Dragon Slayer only glaring in reply.

_"And finally, the newly-formed guild with hidden potential: APOSTLES' ALLEN AND KANDAAAAAAAA!"_

"Wha-wha-what?!" Natsu stared up at the emcee box, then down as the two exorcists joined the field. _"Apostles?!"_

Allen gave a strained smile at the look of utter disbelief on the fire mage's face. "Please go easy on me, Natsu-san."

"You..." Natsu couldn't believe this.

"Oh no," a voice interrupted them. Sting was viewing the Apostles players with slight dislike. "This was suppose to be just a battle between Sabertooth and Fairy Tail... looks like we'll have to take care of you guys first," he said cooly.

"Bring it," said Kanda, and Sting narrowed his eyes.

_"W-what an intense atmosphere, and the match hasn't even started..."_ the emcee was wiping his forehead with a cloth as many onlookers muttered.

Natsu seemed to have recovered from his shock.

"Can you and your partner do me a favour?" he asked Allen. "Stay out of mine and Gajeel's fight."

"Natsu-san..."

"Because I'm going to beat you guys after." Natsu gave a fierce, determined look in the exorcist's direction.

The samurai exorcist viewed the Fairy Tail mage for a brief second before saying, "Do whatever you want. But if you hit me, I'll kill you."

"Heh," was all Natsu said.

Lenalee stared at one Lacrima, where it displayed the following participants:

_Apostles:__ Allen &amp; Kanda_

_Sabertooth:__ Sting &amp; Rogue_

_Fairy Tail:__ Natsu &amp; Gajeel_

"They're all tough fighters," she said to Lavi, who chuckled.

"I think even Natsu may be a match for Kanda."

Chapati, seeing that no one else further spoke, said the words that everyone was waiting for.

_"Without further ado... MATCH, START!"_

Right on cue, Sting and Rogue found themselves face-to-face with Natsu and Gajeel who had lunged themselves forward, throwing a punch in unison at their respective opponent, so strong that it sent both Sabertooth players flying.

Everyone let out a gasp at this powerful opening.

Before Sting could even hit the ground, Natsu jumped and landed a flaming kick, sending him whizzing across the field, where Allen and Kanda stood.

Allen hastily scurried out of the way as Sting helped himself up in an instant and started sliding across the ground towards the fire mage.

_C-crazy..._ Allen's mouth was dry. _Just why am I on the field..._

Lavi was shaking his head from the stands.

"Seriously, Allen's going to have to move or else they'll attack him," he said to a worried Lenalee.

_"Oi!_ Don't just stand there! You're going to be hit sooner or later!" Kanda was apparently thinking the same thing, his hands instinctually placed on his Mugen.

_**"White Dragon's Roar!" **_Something like a tornado erupted out of Sting's mouth, propelling itself towards the fire mage.

"A laser?!" Natsu said in alarm, dodging it. Sting, noticing this, seized the moment to direct his attack at Gajeel, who realized and managed to miss getting hit.

Rogue, who had been slammed right down into the earth by Gajeel, raised his hand, his eyes looking directly at the alarmed expression on Gajeel's face.

_**"Shadow Dragon's Slash!"**_

_**"Iron Dragon's Sword!" **_Gajeel yelled, effectively stopping the attack.

"What the—!"

Gajeel gave his "geehee" expression. He thrusted more power into his sword, making Rogue lose his balance and being sent flown away.

Backing up Gajeel, Natsu took the opportunity to cuff Rogue harshly by the neck, driving him towards Sting like a car.

"Rogue—!" Sting lost sight of his partner's head as Natsu let out a yell.

_**"—FIRE DRAGON'S WIND ATTACK!"**_

Allen felt himself flying off of the ground as a tremendous wave of energy shook the entire stadium.

_"W-what's happening?!"_ He heard the emcee cry out, and the audience yelling. Allen turned to his side to see that even Kanda lost his balance.

The rumbling of the ground ceased, and the exorcist looked up with wide eyes to find both Sabertooth Dragon Slayers battered up, smoke raising from their clothes, both of them panting.

_"My goodness! S-Sting and Rogue!"_ Everyone was in disbelief._ "The Twin Dragons of Fiore's strongest guild are being pressured!"_ There were cheers erupting from the Fairy Tail audience while Natsu and Gajeel stood in their spots, looking completely unhurt.

"Are you kidding me..." Allen was smiling. "You're _that_ strong, Natsu-san?"

Sting wiped away a rubble on his mouth. "Strong like I'd thought you'd be," he said to Natsu.

"Did you guys really beat dragons with that level of power?" Natsu asked.

"Not _beat._" The blond-haired teen clenched and unclenched his fist. _"Killed._ With these very hands."

"Weren't they your parents?" Natsu asked again.

"Why do you care? It has nothing to do with you. Besides, I'll show you"—something like aura was raising from both Sting and Rogue"—the power that kills dragons."

The Sabertooth mages spoke in unison.

_**"White Drive."**_

_**"Shadow Drive."**_

Allen barely had a second to blink as he saw Sting rushing towards Natsu, Rogue doing the same at Gajeel.

Natsu stumbled a bit as the pressure of Sting's fist met his.

"Receive the judgment of holy white! _Take this!"_ Sting thrusted his fist all the way, forcing Natsu to break off his guard and get hit in the face.

"N-Natsu-san!" Allen cried, getting up clumsily.

Gajeel was having trouble with Rogue, every hit he took going through the transparent dark-haired boy.

"Shadows cannot be captured," Rogue said, as the Iron Dragon Slayer's hands went through him again.

"You—!" Gajeel was cut off as he was elbowed sharply near the chin.

"Natsuuuuuuuu!" Happy cried from the stands. "Come on!"

"Happy-san..." Following the Exceed's advice, Allen yelled, "Natsu-san! You can do it! The match is just starting!"

Natsu gave a quick look in the exorcist's direction before facing Sting.

"I've always looked up to you!" yelled Sting, his eyes going wild. "I've always wanted to surpass you... _and now is that time!"_

The fire mage let out a gasp as Sting threw something white and hot that immediately glued itself to his body.

"Natsu-san!" Allen, on instinct, made to run forward but was stopped by Kanda.

"Stay out of it like you promised!" he snapped.

"What... the?" Natsu gazed down at the mark.

"That's a holy attack. The stigma that I've placed there on your body has its freedom taken away. In other words, you can't move!" There was a swift movement: the blond-haired boy was running forth. _"And now with this, I will surpass you!"_

Sting suddenly stopped in his tracks. A smiling Natsu had already lunged forward and struck him on the chest.

"Wh—why can you move!" he croaked out.

The pink-haired figure grinned. "The stigma got burned away..." Sure enough, the white-mark was no longer to be seen. "You're pretty good, aren't you?" Natsu said to Sting. "But not good enough."

"Don't get too full of yourselves, punks," Gajeel added, now being able to hit Rogue freely._ "Don't look down on Fairy Tail!"_

There was the sound of two successful hits as Natsu and Gajeel slammed their respective rivals.

"You... you guys are amazing... no doubt about that," panted Sting, having just endured a flaming punch from his admirer, "but it seems like I'll have to use the best of my best. _**Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: HOLY NOVA!"**_

There was a sickening blast and everyone shut their eyes in fear as an enormous circle of light shuddered the whole vicinity.

Allen, his hair blowing fiercely all over his face, looked up as the light cleared. His mouth dropped open.

Natsu had stopped the attack with his bare hands.

Disbelief rang around the stadium.

_"J-just what is this?!"_ Chapati was lost for words.

Sting seemed as if he lost the ability to speak, for all he could do was gape and stutter.

"GAJEEL!" Rogue broke the stunned silence by advancing towards Gajeel, who simply knocked him out with a punch.

Everyone watched in shock, seeing the Sabertooth mages making pathetic movements.

_"This...who could've expected this?!"_ The emcee exclaimed. "_Sabertooth can't even lift a finger against Fairy Tail!"_

"Their levels are far too different," Yajima said matter-of-factly.

_"Will the match end like this?!"_

Allen stared at Sting who looked completely defeated on the ground. To his surprise, Sting got up.

"As if it'd end." Rogue seemed to be doing the same on the other side.

"I knew this wall couldn't be surpassed so easily..." The blond-haired mage faced Natsu. "I won't lose, for Lector's sake," he declared.

Natsu's eyes widen.

The Drives surrounding his opponents were growing larger and larger, their bodies gradually starting to become embedded with something like scales.

"Rogue, stay back," Sting commanded. _"I'll be enough."_

Chapati was very shaken with this comment.

_"J-just earlier, Sabertooth was at an disadvantage! And now they want to go one-on-two!?"_

"He must be confident," mused Yajima.

Gajeel furrowed his brow.

"He's underestimating us," he said to the other mage.

"But this feeling... He's stro—!" Natsu hastily took a step back; Sting's fist suddenly met his chest and the force of the blow was so strong that bits of the ground were sent scattering, Natsu amongst them.

There was another tumbling hit; Gajeel was smashed on the side of the face and was tossed harshly towards the other side of the arena.

Moving around effortlessly, the blond Sabertooth mage took a giant leap up into the air; eyes downcast on the ground, he let out a yell, "_**White Dragon's Holy Breath!"**_

_"Shit!"_ Allen and Kanda both cursed as the ground shattered beneath them and there were thousands of shocked screams. Allen hit the new layer of earth with a crash so painful that his eyes began to water. He could hear Lavi's and Lenalee's worried yells.

_"U-unbelievable! The ground of the arena has been destroyed! Apostles' Allen and Kanda are unfortunately dragged into the fight!"_ Chapati's voice echoed in the underground.

"It's not over yet!" A familiar yell resounded everywhere. _**"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"**_

Amid the heavy rocks smashing to the ground, Allen saw a blond-haired figure who was sent reeling back. He heard Gajeel's voice.

_**"Iron Dragon's Roar!"**_

"Ah—!" Allen dodged out of the way as Gajeel's attack missed Sting and crashed in his direction. He stared wildly around for Kanda, who was nowhere in sight. He suddenly frowned; he was in an underground mine.

_**"HOLY RAY!"**_

The entire vicinity was lit up with beams of sharp light, so bright that Allen was unable to see. He lost his balance as he heard Natsu's and Gajeel's cries of pain.

_"Get the hell out of the way!" _Kanda appeared out of nowhere with his ponytail loose, dragging the exorcist to safety just as Natsu went landing down a few feet from them.

Natsu barely opened his eyes to find Sting's punch meeting his face.

"N-Natsu-san!" yelled Allen, as the fire mage collapsed right into a high wall, then fell down to the ground.

Sting stood there in triumph. He pumped his fist proudly into the air. _"Are you watching, Lector?! We have won!"_

Rogue, who had been watching the match from above, descended down.

"In seven years, we became real Dragon Slayers," he said cooly. "The old generation's era is over."

"NATSU-NII! STAND UP!" Allen heard a little boy's voice scream.

"But... you were strong... Natsu-san. Gajeel-san," said Sting.

_"A-are they both down?!"_ Chapati cried, as everyone waited in silence.

After a moment passed and none of the Fairy Tail players moved, Sting turned to the exorcists.

"You saw our power. I'd say you'd be better off forfeiting." The blond-haired mage smirked.

_"Tch!"_ Kanda made a movement towards his Mugen, but before he could actually unsheathe, a voice spoke up.

"Wait a minute!"

Allen's eyes lit up at the scene before him.

_"Natsu-san!"_

"OUCH, I swear, this hurts..." The fire mage was rubbing his head almost comically, Gajeel getting up and doing the same.

"But"—Natsu gave a grin at the stunned looks on his rival's face—"I found out all your habits."

_"W-what?!"_

"The timing of your attacks, your pose when you're shielding yourself, even the rhythm of your breathing."

_He figured that all out just by letting himself get hurt? Scary..._ Allen thought to himself, restraining Kanda who was looking pissed at Natsu for interrupting him.

Sting was flabbergasted.

"N—no way! I'm using Dragon Force!"

"Yeah! And thanks to you, look at this!" The fire mage angrily showed off some heavy-looking blisters and bruises. "All from you, geez!"

_"W-what's with this light-hearted atmosphere..."_ Chapati scratched his head, many onlookers laughing.

"For example," Natsu went on, "when you attack, you turn your pivot leg to eleven o'clock."

"No, it's ten o'clock," interjected Gajeel.

"No, it's eleven."

There was a silence.

_"Then let's say it's ten-thirty! It's not eleven!"_ Gajeel retorted back.

"IT'S ELEVENNN! OR TWENTY-THREE!"

"ARE YOU STUPID!? THAT'S ONE MORE TURN!"

"SHUT UPPPPPP!" Natsu purposefully pushed Gajeel into a mining cart. "GO COOL DOWN BY TAKING A RIDE!" he pulled the lever, sending a stammering Gajeel off into the unknown.

"W-what are you doing?!" said Sting.

"Since you've underestimated me, I'll repeat what you've said earlier!" Natsu stepped forward. "_I'll be enough! Come, both of you! _You guys might want to get outta the way," he said to Allen and Kanda.

"W-wait just a second." Sting had to backtrack. "Are you saying that you'll be enough?"

His face scrunched up in anger.

_"Are you kidding me?_" he hissed.

"I have no business with you," said Rogue, looking just as on edge. "I want to fight Gajeel."

"Then beat me and go," said Natsu.

Sting made a sound of annoyance.

"Dragon Force is the same as dragon's power!" he yelled, activating it. "There's nothing in this world that exceeds it!"

With a passionate cry, he charged at Natsu, who easily blocked the punch.

"Wasn't it complete?" Natsu eyed the insane expression etched across Sting's face.

_"I killed Weisslogia with this power!" _Sting screamed, spit almost flying from his mouth.

_"Then I'll use this power to fight for my friends who you've mocked!" _Natsu delivered a sharp, powerful jab at Sting's jaw.

_"Natsu-san, behind you!"_

_**"Shadow Dragon's Roar!"**_

_**"Fire Dragon's Roar!"**_

_"Are they trying to fricken kill us!?" _Kanda and Allen had to scout of the way as the two attacks collided and a new wave of rocks slammed in every direction.

"IT'S NOT OVER YET!" Allen heard Sting's cracked voice. He turned around in bewilderment to see the blond-haired mage struggling to even walk.

"Come," said Natsu, waving a hand at the two wounded Dragon Slayers.

Rogue burst forward, landing a kick that was effortlessly blocked, as Natsu threw his own kick at Sting's face.

The entire Domus Flau watched, either via Lacrima or underground, the fire mage dominating the Twin Dragons of the strongest guild with his mere punches and kicks.

The fight didn't seem to stop there, however.

_"Sting!"_ cried the dark-haired Sabertooth mage, after Natsu threw him a powerful whack across his mid-area, "_let's do it!"_

Natsu watched in bewilderment as the two players seemed to be combining their attacks.

_"W-what is this!? It looks like a Unison Raid!"_ the emcee cried, earning hushed gasps from the crowds.

_"Get down!"_ Kanda yelled, pushing Allen's head straight to the ground.

_**"HOLY SHADOW DRAGON'S FLASH FANG!"**_

Allen felt the ground lifting beneath him, thousands of rocks hurling towards his face— he ducked down, and heard Natsu's voice—

_**"CRIMSON LOTUS: EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!"**_

The rocky ground shook like an enormous earthquake as something hotter than fire was unleashed. Allen felt a huge slash cut across his cheek as a flaming rock, bigger than a Lacrima, went soaring past him. Kanda, who had been holding down his head, was lost amidst the explosion.

There were two thuds as Sting and Rogue, still burning from the attack, fell to the ground in defeat.

Gasps and mutters suddenly broke around the stadium in disbelief.

_"T-t-t-t-t-t"_—Chapati was having extreme difficulty getting his words out—"_THE VICTOR IS FAIRY TAILLLLLLLLL! THEY'VE BEATEN THE TWIN DRAGONS!"_

Every kind of cheer imaginable broke out like a bomb: everyone huzzahing, hurrahing, whistling, screaming, even crying and hugging each other as Natsu stood guffawing with triumph.

"MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Natsu was rolling his tongue with extreme glee as everyone laughed.

Medics hurriedly climbed down from above the field, getting two stretchers ready for Sting and Rogue.

"Hey," said Natsu, as Sting was hauled onto a stretcher. His eyes were wet.

Natsu sighed. "Don't cry because of one point... Let's fight again someday!" he grinned.

"ALRIGHT!" he roared, resuming his tongue rolling as Sting and Rogue were carried up above. "WE'VE WONNNNNNN!"

_"Er, not quite..."_ the emcee scratched his head. _"The match is not over yet!"_

Natsu froze.

"Huh?"

_"There are still the Apostles left to defeat!"_ said the emcee, and the audience stopped cheering in realization.

Natsu's jaw dropped.

"OH YEAH!" he turned around to find Allen getting up shakily. "Shoot! Allen, you okay?!"

_"Are Apostles in a condition to fight!?"_ exclaimed Chapati. "_They were unavoidably dragged into the battle between the Dragon Slayers!"_

"You cannot forfeit if you are not injured!" Mato's small voice echoed from above.

"YOU!" there was a loud noise; Kanda emerged from underneath a huge rock, one side of his head slightly bleeding. He glared at Natsu. _"I'll freaking kill you!"_

"He's done it!" Lavi laughed at the furious Kanda and the baffled Natsu up on the Lacrima.

_"L-looks like Apostles are going to go on with the match!"_ Chapati was unable to mask his excitement. _"Just after the battle with Sabertooth, will Fairy Tail's Natsu be able to handle this!?"_

Kanda turned abruptly to Allen. "Moyashi! Let's get this damn thing over with!"

Natsu grinned, a new fiery passion spreading around him.

"Fine with me! If I beat you guys, that's just one step closer towards being the strongest guild in Fiore! _Come!"_

"I ain't gonna hold back." Kanda's dark blue eyes were almost murderous as they scanned Natsu's black ones. He glanced over his shoulder.

"I won't be needing your help, so go play cards somewhere," he called to an obviously offended Allen.

"Sorry, Kanda, but it looks like we shouldn't underestimate Natsu-san." Allen smiled. "So I'll be joining in."

Chapati gulped.

_"W-well then, let us begin, the second half of the match!"_ There was the familiar bang of the gong. _"Commence!"_

Instantly, Allen and Kanda activated their Innocence.

Every single person in the arena suddenly gasped.

_"W-w-what in the world—?!"_ Chapati knocked over his intercom as he stared in the Lacrima in utter disbelief, not daring to believe his eyes.

Natsu's eyes widen in horror. He wasn't the only one.

_"Moyashi!"_ Kanda yelled.

A dark-skinned hand was stuck right through the middle of the white-haired exoricst's chest.

Allen, stuttering almost uncontrollably, stared down at the warm and dark stain pooling from his chest.

"Sorry to ruin the fun," a cheerful voice spoke into the stunned silence, "but looks like I need to borrow poker boy for a bit."

_"Allen!"_ Natsu, completely losing his cool, charged fiercely at the man, Kanda hot on his trail.

But they didn't make it in time.

Natsu and Kanda both slammed into the wall, missing the man who had just glided through by a mere centimetre.

_"I-I-I-I can't believe it!"_ cried the emcee to the panic-stricken audience. _"A-Apostles' Allen Walker has been abducted!"_

* * *

**A/N:** Some info from this chapter:

1) I'm not sure if Allen can use his old Innocence, since it did evolve, but I decided to include his old attacks since I didn't want all of his moves just to be Crown Clown.

2) If you're wondering why I did the three-on-three battle and placed Apostles with Sabertooth and Fairy Tail, it was purely just for the ending! I would mess up Fairy Tail's events (Dragon arc, etc) if Allen got kidnapped before Natsu's match. But I still made the fight canon so that's good, eh?


	14. Chapter 14

**_[Disclaimer] _**_D. Gray-man and Fairy Tail do not belong to me =]_

_This chapter is really quite short as it is just a test-run to see if any of you are okay with the writing style so far. Please do let me know!_

* * *

Chapter 14

* * *

_"—can't believe it!—"_

_"—do you think it might be Raven Tail?"_

_"—and just when I was starting to root for Apostles—"_

Chaos exploded all over the stadium as people in the audience started getting up to see what was going on.

_"E-everyone, please calm down!" _Chapati's voice failed to ease the spectators; his voice was filled with anxiety himself._ "We have just alerted the Magic Council to conduct a search party for Apostles' Allen Walker! That being said, the Fourth Day of the Games now comes to an end! Take care of yourself on the way out!"_

But nobody in the audience moved. All of them were still looking panic-stricken, and it was only when the Fiore guards started to usher them out that they sat up and left in a hurry.

"Search party?!" Lavi gasped as Lenalee clasped a trembling hand to her mouth. "You gotta be serious!"

"W...What will we do..." Lenalee said in a faint voice, her mind still in shock.

"We better go down to the field," Marie muttered. "Kanda's signalling to us."

* * *

"—_for the last time_, you guys are gonna go rescue Allen, right?! Then let me come!" Natsu didn't bother to lower his voice, causing the exorcist in front of him to wince. The man that had just snatched Allen possessed a magical power he had never seen before. The ability to pass through walls? Natsu racked his brain, trying to remember the face of the man but to his anger, the only image that came up was the black stain pouring from Allen's chest. To piss him off even more, Kanda was declining his offer at every turn.

_"Hell no!"_ Kanda growled, a look of intense dislike swimming all over his face. "This has nothing to do with you, don't get in our way—"

"Natsu!"

_"Erza!"_ The fire mage turned around in relief to see Erza and Gray hurrying towards them. "Good thing you're here. Listen, can you tell this guy that I'm gonna go look for Allen no matter what?" he said hopefully, Kanda scowling at his words.

Erza looked surprised.

"We all have to find him. The Magic Council isn't the only one who are conducting a search. The guilds gathered here are also joining in," she said.

"You all have nothing better to do, do you?" Kanda snapped, glaring at the Fairy Tail mages.

"Why don't you just shut it and be grateful that we're helping you?" Gray said coldly.

"Gray—" Erza began quietly, but she was cut off.

"We don't need your help," said Kanda, his voice just as cold. He narrowed his dark eyes at Gray. "We're perfectly capable of getting the stupid moyashi back on our own," he finished, the rest of the Apostles appearing at his side.

"Kanda, we're in a bad situation here," Lavi spoke worriedly the instant he, Lenalee and Marie arrived. "We better go. Bak called for an emergency meeting."

"It's serious, Kanda," Lenalee added, her voice very strained and almost breaking.

The blue-haired exorcist threw a dark look at the Fairy Tail mages.

"Let's go," he commanded sourly to his teammates, turning towards the exit.

"Hold up!" Natsu stepped forward. "Gravy! You, too?!" he shouted at Lavi, who looked startled.

The redhead merely gave an apologetic nod before turning away to join the rest of his group.

"HEY WAIT—_Erza!_" Natsu demanded angrily when Erza raised an armoured hand to silence him.

"Ignore them," she said to Natsu and Gray, who were both staring at the Apostles' retreating backs with disbelief. "I'd say we'd be better off searching for Allen by ourselves."

"What are you talking about?" Gray asked her incredulously. "They just rejected our help. Actually, _why_ are we even helping them?" he said slowly, as if he was talking to himself.

"That may be the case, but..." Erza frowned as she heard Chapati and Yajima talking anxiously to one another in the emcee box. "I have a feeling that the Apostles are connected to this mysterious power. I'm not sure what will happen to the Games, but they certainly can't resume it with a participant missing as the Apostles have no substitutes. That means we can use this chance to tail them," she said.

"But that Panda guy pisses me off!" Natsu crossed his arms. "Calling me useless and all that..."

"He didn't call you useless..."

"Whatever! I'm gonna go look for Allen on my own! Oh yeah!" Natsu suddenly snapped his fingers in realization. "Gray, have they cleaned that black stuff at the Apostles' inn?"

Gray blinked as Erza looked puzzled.

"Black stuff? I don't think so. The Magic Council hasn't inspected that area yet."

"Great!" Natsu's eyes lit up. "We've got a head start. Let's go to the Caramel Inn; I gotta smell that black stuff again."

His two teammates exchanged surprised looks.

"But... why?"

"Because that stuff smells like Allen."

* * *

_"He WHAT?!"_ Komui's voice could practically echo all around Domus Flau as all the exorcists gathered together in Lavi and Allen's room.

"Keep it down, will you!?" Bak shouted just as equally loud into his golem.

_"How can I not!? A Noah has just—! And this so-called Council is conducting a search party!?"_ There was a rough hard thud of a fist banging onto a desk. _"Abandon your current mission immediately! All exorcists are to head back to Headquarters at this instant! This is an order!"_ Komui yelled from the other end.

_"How the hell can we!?"_ Kanda finally cracked, snatching the golem away from a spluttering Bak. "The one who could summon the Ark was the damn moyashi in the first place!"

_"Bu-but hasn't Allen set up a pre-existing Gate?!"_ Komui asked in bewilderment, sounding frantic.

"Komui-san, I think you're losing yourself. We need the Ark in order to use existing Gates, remember? And only Allen can summon the Ark," Lavi, who was standing near the door with his arms crossed, interrupted quietly.

Komui let out a curse from the other end of the golem. _"You're right, I need to calm down..."_

"Brother... What are we going to do?" Lenalee's voice slightly trembled. "There's no way we can find Allen-kun..."

"Don't say that," Bak told her sharply. "I'm sure we'll find Walker somehow. We have to."

_"Bak's right. There's not much we can do, but I'll send backup,"_ Komui announced._ "It might take them a few days to arrive to Crocus, but hopefully there are no further ambush attacks. In the meantime, do your best to find Allen. I'll alert you all with further reports but remember to keep me updated."_

Nobody in the room spoke as the line went dead.

* * *

Lavi unleashed a sigh as his footsteps made a soft thud on the pavement, his hands in the pockets of his Exorcist coat. He walked around the Crocus town square, his mint-green eye alert for any suspicious passerby.

"Seriously, what am I doing?" he muttered to himself after coming to an abrupt stop. "There's no way Allen will be here..."

Despite saying that, Lavi turned around as if hoping to see Allen standing there with his usual sheepish grin. Sighing, he glanced up at the peaceful evening sky, thoughts running quickly through his mind.

"Better report back to Lenalee then," he said quietly after a second. "Or maybe I should leave her alone for a bit since she's still in shock..."

The red-haired exorcist was about to turn back when something caught his attention.

Something pink came out from a corner of a street and was running in the opposite direction. A few seconds later, two other figures joined it.

Lavi stared, comprehension hitting him as he started to walk in the same direction.

"That's our bombed inn... Why are they going there?"


End file.
